Let's Talk Fiction!

In the past, our Brainy Girls topics have been about reality - the concrete, the sure, the proven.  But given the theme of this issue of Brainy Girls (arts and literature, that is), I'm starting to think about what reality and fiction really are.  Can one influence the other?  Most certainly, I think...so many of our greatest inventions have come from dreams, stories, fanciful thoughts put into motion.  Can you name a few?  I'll bet there are five things you can see RIGHT NOW that fall into this category!  But it's not just history I'm talking about...fiction is influencing reality *today*!  Let's think about it this way:  what's the most recent fiction book you've read?  Did it happen to change your perspective, or shift the way you think about something?  Did it inspire you to try something new in real life?

When I was a kid, I LOVED reading (and I still do).  When a movie came out, I would buy the book, read it first (if it was available), then watch the movie, then read the book, and read the book and read the book.  Do you remember that movie "The Goonies"?  I was obsessed with that movie when I was about 12 years old.  I was convinced that if I had a backpack like Data with all sorts of gadgets and inventions in it, I would be sure to go on many adventures and thwart whatever bad guys stood in my way.  I went so far as to "borrow" a yellow backpack from my brother and fill it with anything I had that could remotely serve as some sort of ingredient for invention or tool for adventure...which wasn't too much at the time.  But the rest of that backpack was filled with my imagination and possibility!

Take a look at this video and think about where your favorite fictional stories might lead you in real life!