You don’t have to be Rocky to know what drove him.Photo by: Dr. Abdullah Naser
I posted a story this morning built around a very Romanly admonition: Si laboraveris, vinces. (If you work, you will win.) That expression, the story and yesterday’s Church of Splendor homily all turn on the subjunctive condition named ‘the future more vivid.’
Now, that’s plenty of fun just by itself, but stop to consider this: The best possible English translation of that phrase – “hard work pays off” – is also the four-word plot summary of every true benedy.
I reject the terms comedy and tragedy because it is much too easy to laugh at maledy. And I want more than a seemingly-happy ending from a story for it to be deemed a benedy. The stories I consider benedies are about learning and mastering new ideas. They’re about how hard work pays off.
And that’s why they are so effective at helping people change their lives: They are about real-life values and virtues that people can deploy to change their lives.
As a manifestation of the integrity of everything, those four words – “hard work pays off” – also illuminate the structure of benedic stories: For the hard work to pay off for both the characters and the audience, the transition must seem to be authentic, palpable and arduous over time. That’s why the movie Rocky resonates with so many people, not because they want to box but because they can relate, analogically, to battling daily adversities in the on-going quest for excellence.
How do you write a story like that? It’s easy. Pick a worthy goal and then show people you love pursuing it. The goal can be romance or career or family, and the details can be whatever you want the world to see in greater detail. But if your story is a benedy, I already know the plot: Hard work pays off – my favorite.
And so to church:
