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Elizabeth Fais

Tag Archives: The Lord of the Rings

Spread Light with Stories that Empower

13 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Inspiration, Story, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, diverse books, Elizabeth Fais, empower, J.R.R. Tolkien, Martha Brockenbrough, Meg Cabot, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Yogi Tea

Literature Lights the Way

I’ve stayed clear of politics on this blog, until now. The results of the recent Presidential election cast our nation into darkness. Many now live in fear for their safety and the safety and well-being of family and friends. This is not OK! Especially not in a nation formed on the ideals of freedom, equality, human and civil rights, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all.

Love light

But as bad as it is, I finally realized these aren’t the worst times our country has faced…and survived. We are not in a Civil War.

Not to minimize the difficulties and rough road ahead, just giving it a little perspective.

Serendipity bestowed an emotional pick-me-up the other night that helped me to see things in a new way. The Yogi Tea I drink in the evening comes with wisdom-y quotes. This one was spot on:

Spread the light. Be a lighthouse.

How perfect is that?

We each have special skills to draw from that can help to turn the tide of discrimination and hate to one of acceptance and love. Writers wage the of power influence through their words, with their stories. Meg Cabot tweeted as much the very next day.

empower_mc

Words of Power

Honesty hour. I hit a wall on my current YA project two-thirds of the way through the first draft. Self-doubt and an internal editor, who’s more like a death eater, put the skids on my progress. Until now. The election results were my call to arms—or maybe hands, since I’m a writer. Suddenly, something is way more important than my ego.

Creating stories that infuse young readers with courage, dignity, inclusion, love, and hope is my mission. My new mantra, compliments of an author I admire:

Write that, write that hard. –Martha Brockenbrough

Writers in previous generations used their words to dispel the darkness, when faced with criminal injustice and the atrocities of war.

C.S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia after returning from World War I. Likewise, J.R.R. Tolkien penned The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the aftermath of World War I.

empower_lord-of-the-rings
empower_chronicles-of-narnia

We don’t have to attain the greatness of Tolkien or C.S. Lewis to make a difference today. We just have to craft well-told stories that empower minds of all ages.

Now to writing that, writing that hard.


Who’s Your Hero?

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Badass, Blake Snyder, Hero, Inspiration, Story

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Ally Carter, Anne Lower, Aragorn, Blake Snyder, Ellen Gregory, Forrest Gump, Garry Marshall, Jack Sparrow, Janice Hall Check, Joan of Arc, Johnny Depp, Lisa Cron, Maggie Stiefvater, Meg Cabot, Neo, Princess Scribe, Save the Cat!, Shannon Messenger, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Trinity, Winnie the Pooh, Wired for Story, You!

7 Great Characters = Heroic Inspiration

Two friends recently honored me with the Very Inspirational Blogger Award.  I owe a special thank you to Janice Hall Check and Ellen Gregory for this nomination, because they are both true inspirations to me.

The thing is, I feel like a poser accepting this award. Maybe because my inspiration comes from someone else. My heroes to be exact. Let me explain. In a recent blog post Lisa Cron talked about her book “Wired for Story” and the scientific evidence that proves we all are. Wired for story that is. We actually learn from the characters in stories because we…

…turn to story to teach us the way of the world…

So I’m not the least bit ashamed to introduce you to the characters who’ve inspired me the most … the good … the badass … and the ugly.

The GOOD…

This is the Fool Triumphant, the good-hearted soul who bungles through life, yet things work out despite the comic results of their actions. Always a good friend, they’re often helpful to a fault.

1. Pooh, in Winnie the Pooh, is a perfect Fool Triumphant, and one of my first and favorite heroes. Image from Wikipedia

2. Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) is a modern, humanized version of Pooh, especially as portrayed in the film adaptation of the story. Forrest’s innocence keeps harm at bay, even when he’s thrown into the most dangerous situations at the height of the Vietnam war. His guileless simplicity prevents him from holding grudges or judging others. He loves is friend Jenny no matter what she does or how long she stays away. There’s a lot to be learned from the unconditional love in this character’s actions.

The BADASS…

These heroes don’t need much of an introduction. We know and love them because they forsake their personal desires, safety, and gain for the greater good.

3. Trinity, from The Matrix, 4. Joan of Arc, 5. Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy 6. Neo, from The Matrix

the UGLY…

The Anti-Hero is a tricky one, because he’s flawed to a fault. So for us to care about this hero, there has to be something about him that we can empathize with on some level. Anne Lower’s blog post about developing the anti-hero in her series explains this character perfectly:

Give ‘em a limp and an eyepatch!” was one of Blake’s favorite phrases. And, by that, he meant try loading your character up with problems, challenges to face, physical quirks, troubled pasts that would work to help the audience identify with or be interested in your hero’s (or heroine’s) journey.

We want this ugly hero to win, despite what he’s done. My favorite anti-hero is …

7. Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean series (Walt Disney Pictures). What he lacks in a limp and an eye patch, he more than makes up for with swagger and a sword. I admit Johnny Depp can never be ugly, even with eyeliner, dread locks, and a braided beard. But Jack Sparrow is a pirate, who by definition pillages, plunders, and even murders when necessary. What’s endearing about Jack Sparrow, is that he acts honorably toward his friends and ship mates, even when he doesn’t really want to.

Blake Snyder and the “Superhero”


Writers That Inspire

The following authors and screenwriters have been a true inspiration to me … what they write, who they are, and their personal writing journeys …

  • Meg Cabot
  • Ally Carter
  • Garry Marshall
  • Libba Bray
  • Maggie Stiefvater
  • Shannon Messenger
  • Save the Cat! — Blake Snyder
  • The Princess Scribe — Anne Lower

So… Who’s your Favorite hero?

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