With the sad passing this past weekend of Muhammad Ali, social media has been full of his life and his quotes. In reading all the various tributes and memories, this quote from Ali struck me deeply:
“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
The heart of this quote suggests the importance of change. As humans, change is the most difficult thing we deal with, yet it is the very force that pushes us forward, shapes us and molds us, and – ultimately – forms and reforms our views.
As a writer, this is the essence of what we tap into each and every time we put words on the page. Characters are deeply interesting – and vulnerable – when forced through these moments of change in their lives. How they handle that change and the forces acting on their lives shapes the story and, I believe, is what we connect with when we read a book. A story about a character who is no different on page 350 than he or she was on page 1 isn’t a very interesting way to pass the time. And in the same way Ali believes a human wastes their life if unchanged, as an author, I’ve wasted my readers’ time if my characters don’t change as well. It’s an important part of the process – weaving characters so we, as readers, see ourselves on the page. We see who we are and we also see what we can be.
In last month’s post I mentioned some of my keeper books that I re-read often and I think it’s the work those authors did in crafting stories about characters who grow and change that keep me coming back over and over to those stories. I’d love to know if you agree so please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for joining me today!
XO,
Addison
Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in New York and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest release, THE ROYAL SPY’S REDEMPTION, from Harlequin Romantic Suspense is on shelves now. You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com
2 comments:
I've found even if I've reread a book multiple times, I'll still find some nuance which makes me wonder, how did I not see that before or read it that way before?
denise
Denise - I SO know what you mean on this. Every time I re-read a book I get something else out of it. Even as I read it, I will be like...how did I miss that before?? :-)
Addison
Post a Comment