Beating Dragons

Fairy tales teach that dragons can be beaten.

Every single best selling fiction book (and movie) has one thing in common.

They all take place somewhere else.

Even if it takes place on earth, it’s not our earth. Their earth is special. They have super heroes, or giant alien robots that cosplay as semi-trucks.

People love stories because they let them get away from everything. In stories we get to feel a little of the struggle and the success of what it might be like to be someone great. We use these experiences to inspire us to be better.

This is one of the reasons I write. I want to feel like my characters. I want their triumphs and their victories. And I want to share them with you.

I believe Neil Gaiman said it best.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

On a related, but personal note:

My wife and I were blessed to tour The Shire in New Zealand.

Halfway through the tour, we visited the party grounds where Bilbo Baggins had his birthday party in The Lord of the Rings movies. When our guide discovered it was my birthday, we had a spontaneous reenactment of Bilbo’s birthday scene, with everyone wishing me happy birthday in unison.

It was delightful and made me feel like Bilbo himself. (Except I didn’t immediately disappear.)

Which characters do you look up to? And what story worthy experiences have you had?