The Art of Writing an Epic Saga

Friday, September 23, 2011

Fitting into today's world

At the heart of my Sacred Knight series is the metaphor that we are all looking for a place to belong within the world. Steigan, my main character is an orphan who has been taken in by the Temple, by his mentor, and by a family in a nearby town. He loves each of these deeply and realizes that he owes his life to all of them. But he also doesn't feel like he belongs with them; he still feels separate and that he has to work hard to please them.

I think we're all looking for that in our lives. We want to be part of something. We want to have something that we believe in, something we can support, something larger than ourselves.

The work always begins in our own lives. There is nothing out there in the world that we can be part of -- that which we seek is in ourselves. We always hope someone will come to rescue us, that we'll go somewhere to belong (why do you think the Cheers tv show ran for as long as it did? The lyrics said it all with "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name."). But that space is never ever out there. It is inside you. You have to know why you feel like you don't fit into the world. Once you know why, then you'll realize the change you want to see in the world. With this knowledge, you can be the change. Then you'll fit in. You'll find the message that you need to take to the world and you'll find the people that need to hear it.

So look inside yourself to find out why you don't fit into this world and challenge yourself to make a difference so that you do fit in. The world needs your courage now more than ever.

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