The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.” Brian Tracy
“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs.” William James
Waking angels: A dear mentor and friend of mine says that they are all around and everywhere, just waiting for us to call upon them and summon their help in our endeavors with intention and for beneficial ends. To me, this is just one more reason why as writers and creative souls, we need to aim high.
What makes a story stand the test of time? What makes it great? Above all else, most of us would agree, that we love and cherish authors who take on universal themes: honor, heroism, justice, love. They grapple with the big moral issues that transcend time.
They’re not afraid to tack timeless truths—the same ones we all hunger to understand because they can help us understand ourselves. Considèr Charles Dickens, one of my favorite authors. While Dickens may be melodramatic, he moves us because his characters embody virtues and vices in ways that compel us as readers to want o see that justice and harmony prevail. He makes us long for a world that works.
Dickens, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Tolstoy, Philip Roth, E.L. Doctorow — when we read authors like these, we know they are going to write about circumstances and moral dilemmas where the stakes are high. And just like them, we all have huge oceans unsailed within us, as Brian Tracy says so well. Let’s set sail boldly and write dangerously!
