I break down every time I think about how a generation of kids are going to get to read this and be inspired by it. This book will be present in bookstores, homes, and school libraries, and kids everywhere will find adventure and strength.
One of my favourite quotes about literature comes from Alan Bennett, who said that “The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”
Kids are going to get to experience that. Not only will they get to partake in Chris’ wit and gift for storytelling, but just like Chris has inspired and empowered us with his honesty and strength, now kids even younger will get to receive it through a medium that will be incredibly powerful for them. Like the quote above says, Chris is reaching his hand out and taking the hands of all of his readers. He has so much love and compassion and comfort to give, and through this book he’ll be able to be there for all of them. For all the kids who need escape just as he did, for the world that readers will get to escape into is the very world that Chris himself escaped into when, as a young child himself, life seemed unbearable.
Of course, we get to benefit from it too. There is no age limit to fairy tales. Like the C.S. Lewis quote he opens the book with says, “One day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
Like Madeline L’Engle said, “You have to write whichever book it is that wants to be written. And then, if it’s going to be too difficult for grown-ups, you write it for children.”
And as G.K. Chesterton said, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” No matter how old we are, no matter which dragons manifest themselves in our lives, we all benefit from the hope and empowerment that fairy tales bring us. And that hope can make all the difference.
Chris worked the lightning metaphor really well, and in a number of really cool ways.
Right now I can’t stop thinking about how we always use the expression “you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning” to indicate low possibilities. The chances are so low that they’ve come to epitomize lack of potential.
Carson (and Chris) heard that message a lot when they expressed their goals. It wasn’t going to happen. You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning.
And, against all odds, it does happen.
Against all odds, Carson gets struck by lightning.
And as against all odds, his dreams were coming true in 2009, Chris used the metaphor for himself, stating that “success hit me like a bolt of lightning.”
It’s agonizing and it’s so powerful. Major props to Chris Colfer for that one.
Can’t tackle the movie itself right now, so I’ll start with this post:
Obviously my feelings about this movie are very complex, but the drive of it is in the rare fusion between the story and its teller, and the profound effect of that on the audience.
Let me elaborate a bit.
I know people on here can understand, but it’s so difficult for me to explain to other people why this is such a big deal for me. I think most people think I’m just excited because it’s Chris’ movie. And of course, that’s a huge part of it. If this were a movie with subject matter that wasn’t even particularly meaningful to me, I’d still be in tears with how proud I am of him. Especially knowing how many years he’s spent working for this, and that he was involved so intricately in its production.
But the subject matter is something I care about. It’s profoundly moving to me. And the fact that Chris is the one handling it - Chris, who gets it, who can express it well, who is expressing it well… And not only will this movie be quality in terms of entertainment value, knowing Chris’ witty way with words (say that five times fast ;) haha) but we know it will be strong thematically.
One of the things I admire most about Chris is his ability to take deeply personal, vulnerable feelings and experiences and share them through his art. That’s what gets people. That honesty so rare, and is a big part of what makes his work so effective.
As he’s said before, the story of the “underappreciated overachiever” often isn’t the one that gets told. I’m just so pleased that Chris is the one telling it. And so thankful that he has the guts to.
AnonymousOh, people have told me as much, too. I’ve had people tell me several times that I’ll never be a true fan, because I’m a straight girl. Which is, of course, absolutely ridiculous.
In my opinion, that way of thinking reduces the numerous qualities and complexities that make up person of Chris Colfer to a single aspect that, while certainly an important part of who he is, by no means expresses the entirety of who he is. No, I can’t relate to him in that area, but there are other aspects of his personality and identity that I can personally identify with deeply.
Furthermore, it’s not just the ability to identify with him that makes him incredible to me. In my experience, another big part of it is that many of the qualities and behaviours that he exhibits are ones that I value, admire, and aspire to share. Everybody is different. Everyone has different values and aspirations. And therefore, many people can draw inspiration from Chris in a variety of ways. A lot of people can relate to Chris or are inspired by Chris in regards to their sexuality, but it’s equally as valid to experience that in other areas.
For me, as someone who’s extremely terrified of vulnerability, his ability to be honest and vulnerable in all situations - through his work and the way he lives his life - is incredibly valuable to me. I wrote a paper awhile ago that talked about heroism, and one of the sources I cited talk about how we need heroes because they define the limits of our aspirations. Chris does that for me significantly. Chris does that for many other people significantly too, though not necessarily in the same way, as they likely have different values. As I said, he’s a complex person that helps many people in many ways.
[I don’t have a lot of time right now, so I hope that made sense and came out as I intended it to.]
AnonymousThis is going to be a long response that may not be entirely related to your question, but I get other questions about this from time to time so you - or others - may be interested anyway.
Basically no, Chris’ public coming out was actually his first ‘official’ coming out. Naya Rivera, who went with him to his Chelsea Lately interview, was asked about Chris’ coming out , and she said, “I remember when all of that was happening, and he was nervous, as anyone would be, just because he’s so young. Other kids his age maybe deal with those issues at school and with their family, but not with the entire world, so that was tough for him.”
It’s no secret that Chris was raised in a very conservative, non-diverse environment. He’s mentioned in countless times that people in his hometown were killed for being gay, and he personally was continually taunted with gay slurs throughout his young life. He named high school as the time that he really learned about himself in terms of his sexuality, and on his Piers Morgan interview he discussed how hurtful it was to “walk by these people that I barely knew in the hallway and they would just scream profanities at me that I didn’t think were true at the time.” This is the environment that Chris Colfer was raised in. Then, almost overnight, he was placed in the public spotlight where people were all asking about his sexuality.
When this judgmental environment was all he’d known, when he’d never even discussed his sexuality with the people closest to him/his parents (“To put it bluntly, I don’t know if my son is gay or not. It’s not a conversation we’ve had with him. But if it ever came out that he is, he would still have his dad and myself and our support and love in everything he does in life. That would not change. Ever. You can’t stop loving someone for his sexual orientation.” - Karyn Colfer, 2009), to suddenly have the entire world tuned in to his sexuality was, in his own words, terrifying.
He’s mentioned several times that upon the initial realization that he was going to be gay on a network television show, he “was absolutely terrified because I’m from a very conservative anti-gay town… I think everyone might be going, ’Oh, he’s playing the gay character. Figures.’ Just because that’s how they perceived me.”
Another reason why it was a big deal was professionally, of course [and in the past there was a lot of talk about Fox trying to get him to tiptoe back into the closet after Chelsea Lately]. Chris himself has said, “You always hear that as an actor you’re not supposed to be open about your homosexuality” and “When you’re a gay actor it’s the first fear they tell you you’re supposed to have.” Chris was just eighteen years old, brand new to the business. This had the potential to be the big break he had spent years working and hoping for. To be surrounded by professionals telling him that coming out wasn’t a good idea for his career would definitely have an impact. Anyway, I want to clarify that he didn’t “tiptoe back into the closet”, as the headlines put it. He simply said, “As much as I give away of my personal life, the less people will believe me as other characters. I try to be private about it. It is what it is.”
Chris has now reached a point where, “I don’t have [that fear] because I know my own capabilities as an actor. I always laugh when I read things that say ‘he’s good on ‘Glee’ but he’ll never be the lead in a romantic comedy.’ Is that supposed to be the goal?”
In any case, the point of wanting to be private about it leads to my final point: Chris has never been one to emphasize his sexuality because of his ‘it is what it is’ attitude. He speaks about it because he understands his ability to inspire and influence people, but he’s said that, “Sometimes, the stories people want from me, I just don’t have them. They want me to tell inspirational stories about being gay in high school, but I don’t have those. I was an outcast because I was weird, not because of sexual orientation.”
Furthermore, as mentioned earlier in his mom’s quote, he never ‘officially’ came out to his parents. He discussed this a little bit on his Gayle King interview, when he said, “Thankfully I never had to. I was just accepted for who I was from the beginning… And I mean, I hope that one day we’ll live in a world where people don’t have to. Where they don’t have to make a grand announcement.”
Anyway, I know I took your question and ran with it, but hopefully that gives a broader understanding of his coming out to the people who hadn’t heard it. [On the other hand, this response may look familiar to a lot of you because I adapted it from a post I made a long time ago for in a different, specific context, but I reworked it here to make it more generally applicable.]
Today I’ve been in an over-the-moon-excited-for-Struck-By-Lightning mood. I’ve been thinking a lot about it, which feels weird because obviously we don’t even know too much yet. There are a lot of reasons why I’m excited to see it, obviously, but today I was particularly focused on Carson.
I’m really just so excited to meet him. Part of that is because I’m excited to see Chris portray him, not just for his career, but because of the beautiful and intricate way in which he develops his characters. He has made Kurt into a completely separate entity in my mind, and often I forget to even associate him with Chris. I have confidence it will be the same with Carson. Even those few stills we have of him emanate an entirely different persona, and I am incredibly intrigued by him.
And so, in my mind, the character is already beginning to become separate from Chris. I see so much expressed in each of the above stills and in every description we’ve gotten about the film. He has already captured my interest, and is on his way to capturing my heart. I know that his story will move me incredibly. I wait anxiously for the day when I will get to sit in the theatre and watch his story unfold before me. It devastates me that we shall only meet him post-humously, and yet I am determined that his death will not be in vain. He will inspire change, provoke thought, and be a voice for an unrepresented group of kids. I’m sure of it.
And of course, finally, I come back to the character’s conception. Chris Colfer has incredible talent, creating stories that not only provide entertainment, but significant meaning. But he does not keep his creations to himself - no, he shares them with us, bearing his soul, and granting us the privilege of benefiting from his wisdom. His brilliance, his dedication, and his honesty all weave together to work wonders. And Struck By Lightning is one of them.
I’d love for him to be remembered for his diversity of talent - for not taking no for an answer or accepting any limits on what he can do with writing, acting, set design, performing, and whatever else he has up his sleeve. He’s said that there really is nobody who he’s modeling his career after because there’s nobody that’s done what he’d like to do yet. I’d love to see him become that example for a new generation of dreamers and achievers.
I think it was JK Rowling who said she wanted to be known for doing the best she could with the talent she had - I’d love for people to see Chris that way too, and for it to motivate them to do similarly, to inspire them to dream bigger, and to encourage them not to be limited by anything (especially themselves).
Specifically if I had to choose one of those, though, I’d say his writing. I obviously haven’t experienced it myself yet, but all of the responses I’ve seen from people who have were exceptionally positive. I think too many people in society as a whole are afraid to think and feel for themselves nowadays, because it’s a scary and vulnerable thing to do. And I think that as a result, people have difficulty connecting to other people and feel alone. Art is a powerful medium for human connection and I’d love for Chris’ writing to help break down those walls for some people.
Chris has got such a gift for being open and honest, and in communicating that through his writing I think it will be able to communicate genuine messages that will really affect and inspire people. And, of course, he’s got that razor-sharp wit that will never stop being entertaining. He’s got a lot of talent, and he’s so brave in expressing it. That’s why he inspires me and so many others, and I’d love for that to be his legacy, because it’s such a powerful and rare example.
(via shiphassailed)
It just hit me anew that The Land of Stories is Chris Colfer’s escape. The world it portrays has been a part of him since he was seven years old, longing for an escape. The twins are him. Again, this is his escape.
When we get the audiobook, yes, we’ll be listening to Chris’ voice read words, ideas, adventures conceived and penned by him. But because of its origins, it’s even more than that.
On days when we’re desperate for an escape of our own, Chris’ audiobook will be there waiting. In a way, Chris himself will be there to metaphorically take our hand and bring us along to share his world, to escape along with him for a little while. Next August, we’ll be able to join him in his world of imagination, freedom, and escape, and experience its wonder ourselves.
I get choked up thinking about what a profoundly personal comfort that will be. It’s beyond words.
It’s amazing to me how time and time again, Chris Colfer’s desire to escape has actually led to contribution. Rather than hiding, he has confronted life full-force. Rather than secluding or isolating himself, he has put his very soul on display.
He refused to be defeated. No matter how much he wanted to escape, he braved it all and out of his trials, created something beautiful and hopeful. That it was born out of pain is, I think, part of its profound beauty - the striking honesty that cuts to the very heart of human existence at its most private and vulnerable. And then he has the courage to show it to the very world that mocked him with faithfulness to himself and the hope that it will help others.
It’s so astounding. It’s so counter-intuitive. It’s so brave. It’s so inspirational.
