Applying Movie Philosophies to Life

I'm back...and I brought a soapbox with me. 

Last weekend I watched the 1966 film, "A Man for All Seasons". 

In a nutshell, it's about Sir Thomas More, the 16th Century Lord Chancellor of England, who was persecuted for refusing to condone the actions, namely the divorces, of King Henry VIII. 

The plot is much more complicated than that, but like I said, it's the nutshell version. 

Have you ever seen a soap box?
If the phrase was coined today, would
we all be talking abut climbing up on our
milk crates? You can buy one of those here,
but you can't buy a soap box,,,at least not one
big enough to stand on. 

As I watched this movie, I realized that as a people, we haven't come too far from where we were then. The king wanted Sir Thomas' approval and Sir Thomas refused. He agreed to not speak against the king, but that wasn't enough. The king wanted his blessing. 

The king didn't need Sir Thomas' permission. He was the king. Free to do pretty much whatever he wanted. Perhaps a guilty conscience made him feel the need to strong-arm everyone into mental submission. I'm not sure, but I will say, God help anyone, including the devout Sir Thomas, if they weren't willing to yield and walk in lock-step with the king's opinion. 

Okay, so right now, you're probably thinking...wait, no one (in the free world) gets beheaded anymore for not agreeing with the king. 

That's true. 

But take a moment and look at the hatefulness on social media. Watch how people with opposing opinions start swinging verbal axes trying to force their opposition into agreement.  

It gets ugly out there. On all sides. 

As Voltaire most eloquently probably didn't ever say*, "I may not agree with what you say, but I would defend to the death your right to say it."  

*This famous quote has never been found in any of Voltaire's writings or letters. It is a a quote, most likely coined by Evelyn Beatrice Hall and mistakenly attributed to Voltaire in her book, Friends of Voltaire.

I have a good thing!!

My short story, Mind Body Soul, will be included in the upcoming IWSG Anthology! 

I’m really excited to get to be part of this! After a summer of reading short works like Annalisa Crawford's You. I. Us and Yolanda Renee's When Zombies Attack: Tales of Horror and Romance, I felt inspired and decided to try my hand at short stories. I'm not going to lie. Writing short stories is in many ways, much  harder than novel writing. In a short story, words have to be chosen more carefully. Gone is the luxury of lengthy explanations, yet that same story arc that rules over the novel must unfold. The beginning, the middle, and the end. No meandering stops along the way...all that lovely purple novelist can paint along the way is stripped. Short tales must be honed and the fluff and stuff must be applied succinctly. 

It was a challenge I was always hesitant to try, but I'm glad I did. I'm happy to join the 11 other talented authors  in the up-coming Hero Lost anthology!

Thank you to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, the judges and Freedom Fox Press, a division of Dancing Lemur Press, for this wonderful opportunity. 

Hero Lost

Mysteries of Life and Death

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Can a lost hero find redemption?

What if Death himself wanted to die? Can deliverance be found on a bloody battlefield? Could the gift of silvering become a prison for those who possessed it? Will an ancient warrior be forever the caretaker of a house of mystery?

Delving into the depths of the tortured hero, twelve authors explore the realms of fantasy in this enthralling and thought-provoking collection. Featuring the talents of Jen Chandler, L. Nahay, Renee Cheung, Roland Yeomans, Elizabeth Seckman, Olga Godim, Yvonne Ventresca, Ellen Jacobson, Sean McLachlan, Erika Beebe, Tyrean Martinson, and Sarah Foster.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these twelve tales will take you into the heart of heroes who have fallen from grace. Join the journey and discover a hero’s redemption!