Good vs Evil

            Real people don't think that they are evil. People do what they think is good. Because of this, it's easy to think that people who think differently than you are bad or even evil. Don't fall into this trap- especially when writing villains and even heroes. Don't make either character all bad or all good. Give villains a good goal (that they go about the wrong way trying to reach) or a corruption backstory. In a pro-life story, the villain will most likely represent the abortion mindset. Think about pro-choice arguments.

            The overpopulation argument could easily translate into a villain that is killing a group of people (children or the poor perhaps) to prevent overpopulation. All life needs to be protected, so don't limit yourself to unborn children when another group of people works better for your story. You can use symbolism to relate any group of people to the unborn. Ex: put them in a dimly-lit safe house next to a river to symbolize a womb. Here's where you can get really creative!  

            This is an awesome article (not by me) for understanding how someone could be pro-choice, especially if you have never been.

            For heroes, make sure you don't make them perfect. Let them struggle with selfishness, or maybe even make them sympathize with the villain. (Here is where giving the villain some "good" comes nicely into play!) For our villain that is afraid of overpopulation, maybe the hero grew up in a house with a lot of kids and not enough beds and food to go around. The hero knows that killing people to prevent overpopulation is wrong- but he isn't as convicted as he would like to be. (Give him a character arc- make him change through the course of the story.)

Life is Worth Living

            "I can't bring a child into this horrible world!" The root to the abortion and euthanasia mindset is the belief that life isn't worth living. "My agony is so great that I cannot bear to live to see another sunrise on this miserable planet!" I might have gotten a bit dramatic with that last one.

            As pro-life storytellers, we need to combat this mindset and show that life is worth living. Does this mean we tell stories of characters that never have problems and skate through life?

            Of course not! A story without conflict isn't a story at all. I have a niece and two nephews, and I can tell you that even shows meant for toddlers have some conflict. (Usually resolved by counting or filling in the missing color of a pattern.)

            No, you want to give your characters lots of conflict. You want to show your readers that even the hardest life is worth living! You don't have to give every lead character you write a diagnosis of cancer, determine what the right problems are for your story.

           The easiest way to show a life is worth living is to give your protagonist a goal that only they can fulfill. You might even want to give your supporting characters goals unique to them. Every story should have a goal, but as pro-life storytellers, we should be careful with what the goal is.

            "But, Mariah!" you say, "My main character is going to realize at the end that what he wanted wasn't what he needed!" Slow down! Just be careful with both what he wants and needs. It's all in how you portray it. Usually the audience gets the vibe that the protagonist is going for the wrong thing. Make sure they get the vibe.

            "Bu-but Mariah!" you say, "My protagonist is going to die at the end!" Okay, it is hard to show that life is worth living with a dead protagonist. But did she die for something worth dying for? Good. Now give the supporting cast a reason to live on after her death. Maybe she died saving another character. Now that character pursues the dream he's been putting on hold to honor the main character's memory.

            "But, Mariah!" Hold it right there! If you have some other ending or other thing that conflicts with portraying life as worth living, you can write in the comments and tell me your problem. I'll help you figure something out.

            Do you have any other ideas of how you can show that life is worth living? Share them in the comments!

The Importance of Stories

            Stories are everywhere. They are as old as language. They can be used to change hearts and minds. They can influence a culture. A network of pro-life stories can turn a culture of death into one of life. 

            Webcomics are very accessible to readers. Anyone who has an internet connection can potentially read a webcomic. What better medium to make pro-life stories? Of course, if you feel called to write a book or a movie or a television show, you will still find a lot of good information here. But those are very ambitious projects. Most people will find a webcomic less daunting.

            If you Google "pro-life webcomic" right now, you won't find much. Or anything. I want to change that. 

            Will you help me change that?