I like intensity in writing.
I’m no religious scholar, but I’d say the Bible is intense.
After all, it’s still influencing culture around the globe two thousand years later.
With that said, I’m likening what I feel are the 4 perspectives a writer MUST develop, with the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
So let’s dive into this two thousand year old text and establish what the 4 horses of the apocalypse are about…
The 4 Horseman are found in The Book of Revelation.
There’s good reason for that.
The Book of Revelation is essentially a letter of tremendous encouragement.
A man named John (not identified as the apostle) had a vision from heaven.
The Book of Revelation is John’s record of that vision (Revelation 1:9-11).
Briefly, Revelation was written as a letter to be circulated among the Christian churches in seven important cities.
These cities were located in Asia Minor which was part of the Roman Empire; known now as Turkey.
At the time, Romans were killing and persecuting Christians.
John’s vision offered encouragement and assurance that God was still in control.
John’s letter stated that the forces of evil, (the Roman Empire) would eventually be destroyed by God.
This indeed happened.
To sum up, The Book of Revelation offers comfort and encouragement to those of faith saying that God is in charge and promises to end evil forces.
Now on to the Four Horsemen…
THE FIRST HORSEMAN…
“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
THE PERSPECTIVE
This first rider on the White Horse can be interpreted as embodying conquest, false prophets and false teachings.
As part of my Writers Apocalypse, the White Horse is YOU the writer.
All writing is storytelling to some extent to another.
Most of that storytelling will have a mix of imagination and exaggeration.
Even if the storytelling is a news article, it still has to rely on the telling by an individual. And we know, that a human can not be 100% accurate 100% of the time.
The storyteller, in some degree, is the false prophet looking to conquer his reader with his falehoods.
THE SECOND HORSEMAN…
When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
THE PERSPECTIVE
The 2nd horseman rides a Red Horse. This horseman represents the violence of warfare.
The Red Horse represents The Protagonist.
Why? Because there is an aspect of battle that goes on between the protagonist and his environment.
You as the writer, must be able to get in the protagonist’s head. See the story from his/her POV.
You want to write a character the reader roots for and who they want to see meet the battle head on… and then win.
So for the 2nd horsemen on the Red Horse, the protagonist must be like the warrior going into battle; an enigmatic character fighting for his life and a cause he believes in.
THE THIRD HORSEMAN…
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”
And I looked, and behold, a black horse! Its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.
And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”
THE PERSPECTIVE
The third horseman rides a Black Horse. The scales he carries indicate balance and scarcity.
The 3rd horseman on the Black Horse, are the Supporting Characters.
The key elements of scarcity and balance add drama.
Understand the supporting characters point if view will either create the scarcity or put the protagonist out of balance or conversely, help him/her come back into balance aplenty.
The Black Horse and his rider see the protagonist from the supporting characters view points.
THE FOURTH HORSEMAN…
When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him.
And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” ~ Revelation 6:1-8
THE PERSPECTIVE
The 4th Horseman of the Writers Apocalypse rides a Pale Horse. This horseman’s name is DEATH.
This 4th horseman represents The Reader.
Ultimately, it’s the reader who decides if your writing is worth reading or not.
It may be a great story.
However, if your reader doesn’t think so…. you’re dead.
Think of your reader and how they have prepared and even sacrificed for this encounter.
After years of learning to read and write the reader has decided to take their hard earned training and spend it on your writing.
They are a worthy opponent.
Do not underestimate them.
For if you do they will surely come back with a death blow.
The death sentence for any writer. Closing the book. Exiting the pdf.
Walking away from the device.
You’re dead to them.
Well, that was certainly apocalyptic, wouldn’t you say?
So let’s take a quick recap:
The 1st horseman of the Writers Apocalypse rides a White Horse.
This horseman is YOU. (Your PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE)
The 2nd horseman of the Writers Apocalypse rides a Red Horse.
This horseman is your MAIN CHARACTER (PROTAGONIST)
(The HERO’S PERSPECTIVE)
The 3rd horseman of the Writers Apocalypse rides a Black Horse.
This horseman is your SUPPORTING CAST (AND ENVIRONMENT)
The 4th horseman of the Writers Apocalypse rides a Pale Horse.
This is your READER. Please your reader. Make your story CLEAR & Interesting or they will put down the book, close the pdf and walk away.
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