This is Day 10 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

We're officially in the double-digits for this writing challenge! It's been such a fun ride already, and we're not even half-way done. I'm beyond excited to see how the rest of the month goes!

Now, I believe I've mentioned before that I have always felt a real connection to books. They are a huge part of my life, and something I don't know I could live without.

And over the many years I've spent reading devouring book, after book, after book, I've come to realize that fictional characters can be just as inspiring as the real ones. 

I know it might be hard for any of you non-readers out there, but to me, they actually do come to life in my head.

One of the most memorable characters I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know is, indeed, Frodo Baggins from J. R. R. Tolkien's bestselling trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

As many of you probably know, Frodo Baggins is a hobbit.

Hobbits are simple people. 

They like food, comfort, and a quiet life. They like smoking, drinking, and laughing with friends. They don't like change or anything that disrupts the peace of their everyday lives.

And they certainly don't like adventures. 

But for Frodo, the adventure came whether he wanted it or not, and it came in the form of a Ring.

A very powerful, very dangerous Ring. And they must destroy it.


That is the driving force of the story- Frodo must destroy the Ring. 

 Now, I don't want to give anything away for anyone who hasn't read the books, so I'm not going to say much, but I do want to share this quote of something Frodo said in The Return of the King--

“I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”

I think that what makes Frodo such an inspiring character lies partly in the very aspect of his character that enables him to resist the powers of the ring. 

Frodo isn't what typically comes to mind when thinking of heroes. When we talk about heroes, I'm sure a lot of us think of muscular guys who go around looking for bad-guys so they can save the world.

But Frodo isn't any of that. He's not super strong. He's not an amazing swordsman or a natural-born leader. He doesn't seem to think he's anything special.

Yet he gives up everything- his home, his comfort, his safety- to do what he must. He continues to bear the Ring no matter how much he suffers because of it.

And he never even asked to be thanked. 

...

So my question today is, who is your favorite fictional character? What do you think makes them stand you?