I'm still mulling over the definition of beauty, how to properly see beauty, but mostly how to understand beauty. Just when I think I have the right answer something knocks me upside the head and I have to re-evaluate.
Currently it is the message I just received doing a Christian webinar on the art of writing.
Sidenote: I'm covering this subject on different blogs so I'm going to try and refrain from repeating myself while also not leaving out any details.
The message was pretty simple. Readers don't want to read about unattractive males/females. They want their main characters to be attractive. They see ugly all the time. They don't want to read about ugly.
I paraphrased a bit. Shortened it up. However, those words were the advice given to a group of aspiring Christian fiction writers. In other words. Let's not have real and relatable characters. Let's have attractive ones so we'll cheer louder when the model and the millionaire get together at the end of the book.
I call doggy doody. First of all if you have to make your characters attractive so your readers remain engaged, you are a bad writer. Put down the pen and find a new hobby. Readers can't see your characters so they need to be attracted to your characters for more than their six packs, hair, eyes, etc.
Second I want to see this philosophy backed up in Scripture. We were all "fearfully and wonderfully made" according to God. I don't see anyone arguing with Him. So the 25lbs overweight woman is wonderful. The man with a scar on his arm was made in God's image. Why can't the girl with braces attract the starting point guard? Why can't a middle-aged man attract an athletic woman.
While physical beauty is open to interpretation, internal beauty is a bit more straightforward. If you have a pleasant personality, people will want to be with you.If you are angry all the time, people will refrain from spending time with you. Who stands a better chance of finding someone who they enjoy spending time with?
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