Image from Pinterest Behold, young man, and may the gods avert the omen, but you have been born into times when it is well to fortify the spirit with examples of courage.” – Tacitus Most of our lives would make pretty boring novels. (maybe 2020 changed that, but let’s just ignore that for the moment, yes?) True, there is a certain drama in the everyday ups and downs, but it amounts to no more than your ordinary contemporary novel. Which is why people read and write contemporary novels. It’s relatable and shows us the important moments that do happen in our everyday lives (and that’s why I wrote this story ). However, for those of us who read or write more fantastical and “exciting” genres, like epic fantasy, coming back to the Normal World after closing a book can feel dull. Yes, it’s wonderful that we don’t have those monsters...
Flash Fiction: A Grain to Spare
Aedus hated it when his hourglass talked. The majority of its speech was apocalyptic prophecy, and he would have given anything for it to be wrong. Just once. Preferably now. Stones cut through the soles of Aedus’s shoes as he sprinted down the hill, dragging a stretcher behind him. He winced as his burden banged against the knee-high stone arches that littered the rocky wasteland. The arrival of Nothing had chased them right into the Riddled Plains. “Hurry, moronic human, if you want to live!” Of course, the rest of Hourglass’s speech had to be abuse. Aedus cast a quick glare over his shoulder. His younger brother, Rand, lay in the stretcher behind him, gripping the side with one pale hand while his legs flopped around uselessly. His other hand clasped it. Hourglass’s sand vibrated as it screamed again in a gravelly voice. “Onward! Are you blind?” Aedus swerved...
Humility and Obedience as an Artist
Artists are powerful. Whether they are painters, poets, writers, actors, or musicians, artists wield a power that echoes the creative forces of God. While artists cannot create out of nothing, they do have the ability to recreate reality through mirroring reality in a way that follows the norms of their particular craft. All humans are artists in that they “are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.” (Pope John Paul II, Letter to Artists, 2). Yet, an artist in the traditional sense has a greater focus on creation and creativity in regard to what is beautiful. This does not make the traditional artist a better person than someone who is not a traditional artist, but I believe it does give the traditional artist an extra responsibility; rather than simply being responsible...