Guest Author, Diane Samson

 

I love Diane’s books. They are fascinating and important.

 

 

I’m thrilled to be a part of Kathy’s blog! Kathy has proofread several of my novels in my Young Adult Fantasy series, Gems of Fire, as well as my new release, Gems of the Sea, which is the first in a next-generation series called “Gems Rising.”

People often ask me what inspired me to write. I was once at a writing conference where the speaker asked if the inspiration for us being there began with one book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. At least 75 percent of the people in the room raised their hands. I was no exception.

The Narnia works were so powerful to me as a child and in simple terms, I remember as a 10-year-old wanting to make others feel how those books made me feel. And it wasn’t just the feeling—it was the life lessons gleaned from those pages.

I heard a pastor once mention that the reason we love stories is because the great ones echo the great story, or the one true story of the Bible, namely the gospel of Jesus. He claimed that even in various cultures throughout the world, all the myths that move people the most echo that one great true myth.

I took a class in college called Biblical Themes in American Literature. The professor made a similar point. While not allegories, these stories, many of which are classics like Steinbeck’s East of Eden, carry types, whispers, are echoes of Biblical stories. Many times a type of Christ will be seen such as in the British literature classic A Tale of Two Cities where Carton gives up his life at the guillotine so the people he loves may live.

In How Harry Cast His Spell, John Granger makes the point that Harry Potter is inherently a Christian work. The only wizards who use any form of true dark magic are the dark wizards, for one, but ultimately the Harry Potter story demonstrates the story of Jesus in that the power of love conquers death. This theme is hit over and over throughout from Harry’s mother’s protective “spell” of love to Harry himself willingly laying down his life for his friends.

J.R. Tolkien made this very point to C.S. Lewis and was one reason C.S. Lewis converted to Christianity. Tolkien argued that the myths Lewis loved were based on the one true myth, the one great story told throughout the pages of the Bible, leading up to the cross and not ending there—one day Jesus is coming back.

The prince coming to rescue and return life to a sleeping bride is the story of our hope in Jesus returning to rescue us. The story of the warrior who slays the dragon is a type of Jesus who ultimately will conquer Satan and rule the world. And of course the story of the one who sacrifices himself to save others goes without saying. Jesus is the story under every other story, Tolkien argues. And every great story whispers His name.

The books Wired for Story and Story Genius by Lisa Cron hits the same points, although she doesn’t come from a Christian point of view necessarily. She says our brains are literally wired for story. She argues that humans evolved around campfires, learning survival skills from stories. (Uncle Bob ate those berries and died…or Aunt Sally provoked a bear and look what happened, etc.)

Over time, the telling of stories was how we learned—at first to survive, and then later out of a desire to stem curiosity and learn about our world.

Two things can be true at once. Our brains can be wired for story and the ones most meaningful have echoes of the one true story embedded inside them. Perhaps it’s no accident that Jesus taught in parables—though sometimes confusing for us, His audience seemed to glean every word of his parables, often taken from the surrounding environment.

My stories contain Biblical themes, but I’ve never written them as allegory or trying to teach anything specific. I’ve always wanted anyone—of any faith— to enjoy them first as stories. And if they find a greater story lying beneath, all the better.

 

website: 

www.dianesamsonauthor.com

 

 Gems of the Sea Link: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6CJTMD3