IT'S YOUR STORY // how similar stories still have their own impact

Last week I told y'all that I recently watched/read The Hunger Games for the first time, and I shared all the uncanny similarities I noticed between them and the Out of Time series . In case you missed my post last week: 

- MC Girl goes to Scary Thing and has to figure out how to survive

-Girl's journey is broadcast across the country

-Potential love interest in Scary Place with her

-But other guy who is also possible love interest is back home watching her journey unfold

-Attacked by wolves

-Somebody loses a limb (book only, in THG's case)

-There's a little sidekick girl

-MC comes back at the end triumphant and super famous

(there were things throughout all three books of each trilogy, but the most similarities were in the first books.)

Crazy, huh? When I was watching the first THG movie, I was just floored by all the little details and bigger elements alike that the two books had in common. And these were all besides the obvious fact that they're both YA dystopians, too. 

So, yeah, the two books/series are ridiculously similar in some ways, almost enough that it could have been on purpose. But you know what struck me about this?

Both stories are still vastly different.

Even with so many aspects that these books shared, did I feel like I was experiencing the same story when I was watching THG? Not at all. Sure, it's a dystopian about a teenage girl rising above the odds to survive and eventually change her world. Sure, there were scary similarities. But still, A Time to Die was in no way a repeat of The Hunger Games! 

So, what does this mean, exactly? What point am I making? 

Even though two stories may be similar, they are still different stories written by different people. And because of that, they each matter in their own ways. They will hit the hearts of readers in different ways. They will do different things. Though the overall idea of the stories might be the same, and though they might share a crazy amount of similarities, they bring different things to the table. 

Writer, if you're worrying about your story being too similar to someone else's- stop. Especially if you're in the early stages of writing it. Chances are, it's not too similar to really matter. And even if it has as many similarities as ATTD and THG, or even more... you don't need to worry about that right now. 

Someday you might need to. Maybe when you're in the publishing process and your editor says that X concept needs to be tweaked because it's too close to something in a story that's already famous. But for right now, just write your story. Maybe that element that will need to change later is necessary right now to make your story what it will eventually become. Or maybe it will stay exactly the same and will forever bear a parallel to another well-established story. That's okay. That other story is not yours, and your story has something the other one doesn't. 

(obviously there are exception. if you're planning on naming your character katniss... I can tell you right now that's not going to work out. xD)

And I think that goes for similarities between your own stories, too. Everyone always talks about elements and tropes they tend to weave into their books, and... my characters are always in hiding, from either the villain or the authorities. xD I don't know why. It's certainly not intentional. But for whatever reason, my cast is always either outrunning whatever is that storyworld-equivalent of the cops, or hiding from the villain. I've wondered before if that's a problem- surely it's something people would notice one day if all my stories are published and out in the world- but I don't need to worry about that. Maybe eventually I'll need to rethink it, maybe I won't. But even if I didn't change them at all, they are all still very different stories. 

So, if you're discouraged because you don't think your story is original enough, or you think it's too similar to a famous movie or book- take heart. Keep writing. Whatever your story is meant to be, it will become that if you don't give up on it. Imagine if Nadine Brandes had noticed all the similarities between her story and The Hunger Games, and given up on writing it. A lot of people's lives would be different, because her books have impacted SO many lives in ways The Hunger Games hasn't. (And the other way around!) 

Write that story, friend. It's your story. The world needs it. And only you can write it the way you do. ♥

SHALOM

SHALOM.

It means peace. Wholeness. Completeness.

The way things are supposed to be.

I recently reread the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes (aka one of my favorite series ever... not that any of you have any doubt about that by now), and it touched me just as deeply (perhaps even more) than it did the first time I read it. Which is saying something for a reread.

But what stands out so much about this story?

I've mentioned before how much I love Parvin and her journey. Hers is one of my favorite character arcs ever. And the entire story is incredible. But one thing in particular spoke to me this time around.

Shalom.

Something I'm passionate about is honoring God's will. I don't just mean choosing a career or spouse, but how there is so much that we might not even think about that is so far removed from what God originally intended. I have a LOT of thoughts about the state of this world and how what some might call progress has done nothing but harm to our society. I could go on for hours about this. (Maybe someday I'll devote a post to it, but today I'll try to spare you that rant.)

I've found new passion in devoting my life to rightness. To how things are supposed to be.

Every day I see anti-shalom at my job. It's one of the things that makes me really, really, really, really want a new one. Convenience is great, but after three years now of seeing how fast food has made people rely on other people to work hard so they don't have to, and treat other human beings like dirt... I truly wish it never existed. (I'm not saying you're a bad person if you eat fast food. I eat fast food. But with the awful things it brings out in some people, I wouldn't be sad to see it disappear from the face of the earth.)

There is so much that exists in this world that might seem harmless but has been twisted into something toxic.

Lately our world has been in desperate need of shalom. In every headline we see fear, anger, hatred. Anti-shalom absolutely everywhere.

And as harsh and hopeless as this sounds, there's nothing we can do to stop it. There won't be perfect shalom until Jesus comes and takes us all to be with Him for eternity.

But.

That doesn't mean there's no hope for shalom in this world. It doesn't mean our lives have to be completely void of it. And it doesn't mean that the world can't be greatly changed by it.

We just have to start it in our own lives.

How do I feel led to spread shalom? To pursue peace and rightness in my world?

I want to treat people the way I should.
I want to live and use my time in a way that matters.
I want to give of myself to help others draw closer to shalom.

And so many other things that can't be expressed. In short, I want my life to be one that supports and pursues shalom.

Put in prettier words by a song I've been absolutely loving lately:

I'd love like I'm not scared
Give when it's not fair
Live life for another
Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones
Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle
Stand tall, but above it all
Fix my eyes on You

// Fix My Eyes by For King and Country

(I discovered this song from the playlist Nadine Brandes created for A Time to Rise, and I think it's perfect for this topic.)

Ultimately, what does shalom mean for me in my life? Complete and utter surrender to God. The handing over of my life in its entirety into His hands, saying, "Here it is, Lord. Do with it what you will. Accomplish in me what You placed me on this earth for."

If I fix my eyes on Him and allow Him to saturate my life, I will find my own personal shalom. I'm not there yet. I'm SO far from there. Will I ever reach complete surrender to Him? Who knows, because as humans with a sin nature that's something maybe we'll never reach perfection in. I constantly struggle with it. But can't I forget about my own desires for a while and stop being selfish?

Can't I stop worrying about what will or won't happen if I don't get enough writing time in every day and just get back to prayer? Can't I just commit my life to God like He intended?

I want my life to be what it's supposed to be. To be complete, to be right.

I want to use my life to further good causes, to benefit others, to find and complete the tasks God has given me. I want to get uncomfortable and rise above the darkness and hatred of this world to shine a bright light for anyone who needs to see it. For anyone seeking shalom.

Bottom line: I can't make my toxic job a thing of shalom. But I can be shalom at my job. And the same goes for everything else in our lives, and for our world.

To quote another book series that's made no small impact on me:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

How absolutely perfectly this describes how I feel every day. I can't undo the things that have happened and the far leaps our world has taken away from shalom. But I can be shalom.

And if that's all I'm meant to do in life, I think that's a worthy purpose.

Hopefully I didn't ramble too much here and the heart of what I'm trying to say came across the right way. It's hard to gather my thoughts properly on things like this sometimes.

But in case I've never said it before, I'm so thankful for the Out of Time series, and Parvin. It's amazing how God can use stories to impact your life, and He certainly has with this one.

I hope somehow these words have encouraged you. Let's spread shalom together.