Stories are the collective wisdom of everyone who has ever lived. Your job as a storyteller is not simply to entertain. Nor is it to be noticed for the way you turn a phrase. You have a very important job–one of the most important. Your job is to let people know that everyone shares their feelings–and that these feelings bind us. Your job is a healing art, and like all healers, you have a responsibility. Let people know they are not alone. You must make people understand that we are all the same.

― Brian McDonald, The Golden Theme: How to Make Your Writing Appeal to the Highest Common Denominator

Following my new weekly posing schedule, today I bring you another great quote on writing by Brian McDonald, a writer, blogger, “filmmaker, [and] story guy,” (according to his profile), who has a really interesting site over at The Invisible Ink Blog.

His quote above is a really big concept, and I completely agree that we as writers can use our craft to heal our readers by showing them through the characters we choose to write the universality of the human condition.

It’s also true that writers, especially of sci-fi and fantasy, can take this even one step further by holding up a mirror to our own societies and subtly (or maybe not so subtly) pointing out where we could do with some improvement.

It’s just a thought to carry with you the next time you sit down to write, or even read someone else’s work, perhaps.  🙂

And speaking of healing, I just love this artwork I found when I went looking for an appropriate dragon for today’s quote.  This is Healer by American professional artist Anne O’Konski, posting on deviantart as Anne-O.  It’s so adorable!

And now that the mood is lightened again, I think you should go check out Brian McDonald’s latest blog post titled Enough already with the Raiders of the Lost Ark “Story Problem”.  I thought it was a great quick read.

I didn’t know people even had a problem with Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the 1981 romp that started off the Indy franchise, but Brian explains both the “problem” — essentially, that the events of Raiders would happen the same way they play out on screen whether or not Indiana Jones even existed in that universe — and then goes on to explain (what should be) the obvious reason that the “problem” isn’t one at all.

As always, thanks for reading, stay creative everyone!

Image credits:
Brian McDonald quote from Goodreads, created on Quozio.com
Healer by Anne O’Konski