The sound of the wrapping paper tearing as I guessed the secret those vibrant colors hid gave ten-year-old me a unique dose of dopamine that my trembling fingers could barely handle. In innocent disregard for the love a friend’s parents (probably their mother) had expended in turning my birthday surprise into a work of art, I shredded that colorful paper into pieces to reveal the gift hidden underneath.
And as exciting as those presents were, I knew that the present I received from my parents was the real trophy. In 1996, on my tenth birthday, after destroying a particularly beautiful piece of wrapping, I discovered that a fantastic space-age gem was all mine.
A Nintendo64.
Gamers cannot fathom the N64’s unique entertainment revelation. Until then, cinematic animation had been hand-drawn and gaming had been 2D, usually in blocky eight-, sixteen-, or thirty-two-bit representations that bore no real resemblance to the real world.
Interestingly enough, entertainment is often seen (if not treated) as an escape from real life. But what was most compelling about the N64 was how Real it looked.
Creativity must always reconnect us with reality.
Even the most fantastic and surreal creative ambitions must somehow find their soul in the world beyond the page. The real world.
One of my favorite books to read in school was The Giver by Lois Lowry. So of course I was excited for its big screen debut in 2014. I’ll cut to the chase here and say: I hated it.
That’s not to say the film wasn’t creative. It used black and white and color and tried to offer a fresh take on a classic. But in retelling the story, they forgot why the original was told in the first place. They made the fatal mistake of replacing creativity with character, sacrificing the most human elements of a masterpiece for flash and bang.
Creativity without humanity creates soulless works of art. I find creative works without a point of reference in reality unpleasant or irrelevant. Creativity for creativity’s sake is arrogant at best and callous at worst. Creativity for the sake of humanity is a ministry. What gives a work power is its relationship to the world we live in.
Even the most bizarre and eccentric endeavors, science fiction, fantasy and the like, should teach and inspire in the here and now. For what would be the whole power of heaven if it never touched the earth?
My book, Blades of Eternity and the Keeper of Peacea children’s fantasy work, will be published in October this year. One of the thrills of pre-launch is the early feedback. Someone recently gave the book a rave review, which eases the pressing question: “Is this book really good?” But out of the entire generous review, there was one line that stood out. The reviewer wrote: “The characters really stole the show for me…’
And they always should.
All our creative work needs breath and the beating heart of humanity. It is sobering that my Creator, in all His mighty creative work—from His Bible, to the canvas of our world, to my very being—takes me into account. So I have to take into account those my creative work might touch. Because soulless writing can never touch the reader’s soul.
***
Blades of Eternity and the Keeper of PeaceThrough Zach Foxoffers a page-turning adventure in which middle-aged readers explore the values of friendship, loyalty, and courage.
One hundred years have passed since the Peacekeeper disappeared. Hoping to return the missing governor to his rightful place atop the Keeper’s Plateau, the King of Summer forms a secret search party led by his son, Prince Mel.
As the group faces many dangers, Eva, the Princess of Winter, shares a secret with Mel about a mysterious, masked prisoner known as ‘Prisoner Thirty-Six’. Could this be the man the king had sent them to find? And if so, how can the prince’s party save this curious convict and escape from the evil eye of Eva’s father, the King of Winter?
Learn more about the book and how to buy it here.