Strength in Fiction
My relationship with fiction is an interesting one. Something I promised to myself, and do my best to upkeep, is to surround myself with positive influences that keep me feeling good. This applies to recreational fiction reading and writing as well. While I’ll rarely refuse a good tragedy or a moving story of heartbreak, I find that heroic, thrilling and hope-inspiring fiction puts me in a good mood and makes me feel more confident as well. There is something empowering about a story wherein the hero saves the day at the last moment, where people overcome their struggles, or where someone finds courage inside them and grows up a little bit by the end of the story. While I enjoy the story itself, it also makes me feel happy that someone out there wrote these stories; that there are authors who also believe in the positive power of heroism.
Stories of heroism can inspire and empower us.
As someone who spends a lot of time playing video games, it is the form of fiction that has shaped me the most. Video games allow you to insert yourself into a world and save it with your own hands. If a game is good, you come to care about the world and characters, and you create your, and their, happiness with your own time and effort. One of the most inspiring games I have ever played is The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, which focuses on bringing happiness to people facing the apocalypse, and with the help of the player, characters can find love, strength and hope, even in the face of the world’s end.
Of course, I have found many kinds of fiction outside of video games inspiring. The ultimate point I’m making here is how much of a role fiction plays in my overcoming stress. It could be because I am a child at heart, but even now, I ask myself: “What would that hero do right now?”
If there’s any fiction that has inspired you, please share it with me! I’m always looking for a great and inspiring story!
Photo Credit: Ajtai K. Keggard
Matthew Miller
Matthew Miller is a 22-year-old aspiring writer from Ottawa, Ontario. He enjoys entertaining stories, good music, immersive fantasy, and one thing that brings them all together: video games. His dream is to become a novelist while enjoying life to the fullest.