Part 6 of 7
Do you know what wherever you are on the writing journey, you can go way beyond it? Do you know that you don't have to feel lost about your purpose in life? I'm saying this because I know both are true. We have been journeying together over the last five weeks on this literary and empowerment series How Would You Craft Your Life Story? to help you become a better fiction story writer, and to help you find meaning in your life. Using Donald Miller's storybrand technique, we explored how the character has a problem and meets a guide who gives them a plan and calls them to action. Today we will examine the first result of this interaction.
The Guide Helps You Avoid Failure
At this point, the guide has demonstrated his/her credibility and empathy toward the character, proposed a plan of action and challenged them the character to do something. But the character still needs to answer this question, "What if I don't do this?" It's like watching a movie scene the where two friends jump out of the window of a skyscraper and unto a scaffold because the bad guys are chasing them. The more agile friend says they have to try to manoeuvre this contraption to get to safety. If they don't their options are to fall to their death and go back inside for the bad guys to catch them. Clearly, the less agile friend will choose the first option. When the character knows what is at stake, he/she will be more committed to following the plan of the guide.
The key is to always remember that the character's need must be met by the end of your story. Failure comes when your character has the same unmet need and problem at the end of your story, as he/she did at the beginning.
Jesus Saves Us from an Empty Life
As we live in this world, we can't shake that inner desire to have meaning and find our purpose. In order to do that, Jesus Christ, the guide in our life story calls us to follow His example of sacrifice and lay down our lives in submission to God's will for us. When we explored His plan, we likened ourselves to seeds planted in the ground (buried). What is at stake if we do not allow ourselves to be buried like a seed? We will never produce. We will eventually dry up. We will not experience what it means to grow. In fact, when something is a seed, it is in a state of dormancy. So when you think about it, the more we try to stay alive as a seed, the faster we will actually die. We can choose.
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Matthew 16:25
By Kerry-Ann McPherson
Project Manager & Contributor
