We're taking a quick break away from Anna's story today. A little reflection on the nature of fiction and where it comes from.
No one can write in a vacuum. In the world of language, our imagination is a culmination of things we've seen, heard, and experienced. There are Annas in the world. There are people who have thought they were on the road right for them. Perhaps they never even questioned their choices, their jobs, their relationships much to that point. Some people are far more introspective than others. Some just drift along with the current. Maybe Anna is that kind of person, or she thought she was.
Her boyfriend's abrupt decision to leave shook her to the core. Then her mother's cancer diagnosis and her steady decline was just another blow to Anna's picture of reality, another event she had not really seen coming. She was blindsided. She was left on the open sea without a compass or an oar.
Reading fiction allows us to put ourselves in the place of the main character of the story. It offers a chance for us to experience empathy, even if it is for a person who does not exist.
What does Anna look like? You already have a picture of her in your mind, and if you asked someone else who was reading this blog, their picture would be different than yours.
That's what is neat about writing. It gives your mind that chance to develop something on its own. It's why sometimes the movie version of a popular book isn't well received by those who read the book first. They'll be quick to tell you -- the female character isn't the right one.
Anna's spiritual growth was at a standstill, and she was tested by life, and now whether or not she realizes it, she is trying out something else. Trying it on for size.
We'll rejoin Anna tomorrow. But for today, let us rejoice and be glad for the Lord has done great things for us! And God bless America.
See you on Wednesday!!
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