Life can be stressful at times. We’ve all seen it through the last year and even into this year. When that stress gest overwhelming, we all need an escape. We all need a way to distract ourselves from the stresses of life we can’t change. Some of my favorite escapes are good stories. Both the stories I write and the stories I read.
When I write a story, I try to set good characters in situations that make them question themselves and their abilities. For me, a great story is one where the protagonist is stretched beyond what he or she thought they could do. That stretching changes and helps that character grow.
The better and more believable the growth of the main character, the more the story sticks with people. After all, I think we are all wanting to be the successful protagonist in our own journeys.
If you think about it, each of us face similar challenges in our lives, but maybe not as extreme. That’s why we love to read stories. We can put ourselves in positions we wouldn’t normally find ourselves. With a good story, we can imagine what it would be like to deal with the struggle the characters face. Reading about a character struggling through problems we’ll never face is an escape from our stress filled lives.
If you’re looking for a good science fiction story, check out my books The Promise of Dust or Progenitor’s Legacy: Deceit. If you’re looking for a young adult science fiction, check out my series This New Earth, that starts with Demons of a Dead World and Secrets of a Dead World. If you are looking for a young adult fantasy, check out my book The Threads Unbound.
I plan to have my next book on Amazon Kindle by the end of March, and I’m reviewing my outline for a fantasy book I plan to have ready by June. Keep checking in to see my progress.
DANIEL R. BURKHARD 