Who Rules Your World by Rebecca Seaton

Who Rules Your World by Rebecca Seaton

Impact of a leader: My paternal grandad is still an inspiration today.

    I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership lately. What makes a good leader? How and why do people become leaders? As Christians, we have a very unusual example of leadership in Jesus. He commands yet serves, has incredible power and authority but is able to be vulnerable, even to the extent of given his life. Other examples of leadership in the Bible show different facets of leaders – whether it’s the powerful Romans and Pharisees or more human leaders like Moses and David.

What role do leaders play in our writing?

Leaders can provide context:

This is very important in world-building. As a fantasy writer, my kings, queens, religious leaders and politicians, and the way other characters approach them, demonstrate the kind of world people live in. However, I think the same is true of other genres. The police hierarchy is often crucial in a crime novel, for instance. 

Leaders can inspire your main character:

We often draw on our own experiences in this. Maybe a leader encouraged you when you were new in a role, or helped you move on after making a mistake. How many times in TV drama do we see the tough police chief or newspaper editor give the hero the ‘one last chance’ that enables them to crack the case? The leader may choose people for a mission or quest, even if they feel unworthy.

Leaders can provide opposition for your main character:

Equally, it may be an evil or incompetent leader who inspires the character to make a difference in their world, forcing them to realise what is important to them. In the Bible, David knows that Saul’s leadership is wrong and defies him despite overwhelming odds. David is also following God and sees his own leadership in the context of following one far greater. The opposite of the inspirational boss is the obstructive boss and the police hero often has to work despite the lack of support or even with outright opposition from above. This forces them to use their skills in a new way or to gather other allies, which can really move the plot on.

Writing leaders well:

Consider different examples from literature and real life. Why is that leader a popular character, even though they’re tough on other characters? Why did or didn’t you like working for that person? If you’ve held leadership positions in church or at work, what kind of leader were you? If it was a novel or a television series, how would others characters react to you? What was the impact of your leadership?

Leaders aren’t always perfect, but they are often important catalysts. Who rules your fictional world? I don’t know, but I bet your main character has an opinion!

Rebecca Seaton came second place in the 2017-18 Pen to Print Book Challenge with her first novel, A Silent Song, which explores issues of faith, forgiveness and belonging.

 #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #ACW