The Forgotten Monk

Think I’m crazy for creating a blog that talks about things to learn from books, movies and tv? Think again. When we are at a loss of what to do in a situation we can go to our friends, historical figures, and I believe characters in books, movies and tv.

© Photographer: Kamaga | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Great Writers either know their material or they research it thoroughly. Like Author Golden who wrote ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ after hitting a roadblock he started actually researching everything he could about the culture and the time period. And he interviewed actual living geishas. He threw away his five hundred-page manuscript and started over. He ended up writing such a realistic account that others believe he was writing about an actual living and breathing person.

Writers come up with an enormous variety of situations from normal to far extreme situations that hopefully none of us will ever have to worry about. But a key to how these characters react or pro act is the fact that writers have time to really consider and explore the outcomes these characters go through. Like Santiago, a character from ‘The Alchemist’, who has to decide between continuing down the path he is currently on and traveling down the path his heart wants to follow.

Because these actions are well thought out, oftentimes these actions are valid for the situation and makes for a valid source of guidance. This applies doubly so if a writer were to do a story based on actual events. How does President Dedmon, from ‘We Are Marshall’ convince the commission to continue the football program? How did Rudy Ruettiger, from Rudy make it into Norte Dame? Whether or not you agree with how the characters deal with a particular situation you’d still have to admit they could teach us something. But, it’s up to us as observers to learn.

So when you think you are at an impasse and looking to family and friends isn’t fruitful. Try looking to what other people in actual events did. Barring that look at what characters in similar situations did.

What do you guys think?

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