The Power of a Fiction Writer’s Pen
By Tracy Hahn-Burkett | November 22, 2015 |
This post isn’t so much about writing as it is about being a writer. Or, to be more precise, it’s about simultaneously being a writer and a citizen of the troubled world in which we live.
Here’s the question: should the writer of fiction also publicly discuss politics and related controversial topics?
The prevailing wisdom says no. As writers in the twenty-first century, most of us necessarily spend nearly as much time growing and nurturing our platforms as we do writing the books and shorter works those platforms exist to promote. It doesn’t make sense to work as hard as we do to build our platforms only to weaken them by broadcasting our political views. When it comes to political matters, everyone’s got an opinion, and everyone is convinced he’s right. So unless you make your living as a political writer, it’s simply not worth the risk of offending half of the potential readers out there by expressing political opinions we might just as easily keep to ourselves.
But maybe the prevailing wisdom isn’t always right.
I can think of two reasons for a writer to discuss politics with care, and they go hand-in-hand. First, she believes the person she is presenting via her platform is not genuine because the political side of her is a key part of who she is. Second, she believes she has an obligation as a human being to speak up where she sees injustice. In these cases, perhaps it’s better not to remain silent.
Are you the kind of person you want to be? Given your unique skills–which include communicating nuanced ideas to others in ways that resonate–are you fulfilling your obligations not just to promote your work, but to improve whatever it is you value in the world? People look around our troubled planet all the time and wonder how to change it. As writers, we possess a power not shared by everyone: the power of the pen (or laptop). If we write fiction, must we surrender that power completely in order to market successfully our stories and our books?
I began writing creatively over a decade ago after leaving a career in politics and policy. I intended the break to be complete in the professional sense; I would always be interested in politics personally, of course, and might dabble in that world more or less as a hobby, but I intended to keep it separate from my writing.
For a while, the plan worked. I was a new mom, and nothing was more fascinating and terrifying to me than parenthood, so I wrote mostly about that. When we adopted our second child from South Korea, I started writing about race and multiculturalism, but in my mind, those pieces were far more about family than politics.
As I began to emerge from the clubbed-over-the-head daze that life with toddlers can be, I grew as a writer, and none of that growth was political. I began writing fiction, another clubbed-over-the-head daze of an obsession, this one involving frequent dialogues and debates with imaginary people far more compelling than any politicians I knew.
At the same time, I also ventured onto Facebook and Twitter. Here I was mindful of the fact that my intent was to form quality connections with many different kinds of people, and I kept my words relatively noncontroversial. There were times I bit my lip or shouted at my laptop, but my fingertips held back.
But partly because of Twitter and Facebook, I also read more news than I had since my kids first commanded the front of my stage. I saw plenty I approved of; more I didn’t. I kept writing and studying, finished the first draft of my novel, continued to build followers, kept reading and watching the news and frequently thought, “someone should do something about this.”
Until I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. State legislation collided with my keyboard, and I realized that there wasn’t much point to my being a writer if I wasn’t going to use my ability to work with words to speak out publicly for something I believed–to try to make people understand that to allow some people to marry but not others was to violate the rights of an entire class of people. I considered the words I often imparted to my children about equality and about standing up for others and for what they believed. Increasingly, I felt like a coward for hiding behind my developing platform and for not writing the op-ed I’d drafted several times over in my head.
So I took a step forward and wrote an incontrovertibly political column, then took a deep breath before sending it to my editor.
But I did not take this step lightly. This sort of writing comes with consequences. I knew that publishing a piece that came down so strongly on one side of a heated political issue would instantly cause a few readers to dislike me and bias them against my future writings, regardless of whether those writings were non-fiction columns, stories, my parenting blog or my still-in-progress novel.
Since that time, I have written numerous other political pieces—the most recent just this week on the question of Syrian refugees—always mindful of the potential results. I don’t delude myself that everything I write (or tweet) is a meaningful contribution to the public discourse, but I am conscious of the fact that in the age of the internet, every political word I release into the stratosphere must be something I’ll be comfortable living with forever.
I know that when I finally try to sell my novel, there may be an agent or two who won’t like me because of something I’ve said on Twitter. There may be some readers who won’t pick up my book because of a few columns I’ve written. But there may also be agents who will respect what I’ve done and who will recognize that, in fact, I’ve been building relationships and a platform all along–in some cases, because of my political words.
As writers, we create platforms with the ultimate goal of promoting our work. A key ingredient of platform is authenticity, and we weaken our platforms if we allow ourselves to become inauthentic. For me, I came to a place where I could no longer remain apolitical. My conscience would not permit me to remain silent any longer. I’m a writer, but I’m also a person with a place in the world, and I possess the power of the written word. It’s my responsibility to use it.
An earlier version of this post appeared at Beyond the Margins (now defunct).
(Image courtesy Jonathan Cohen via Flickr.com.)
[coffee]
Tracy Hahn-Burkett is a writer and public policy advocate who has written everything from speeches for a U.S. senator to texts seeking proof-of-life from her kids in college. She’s published dozens of essays, columns, articles, reviews and a story, and teaches writing for advocacy. She currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband, cat, and dog, and she is revising her first novel. Her website is TracyHahnBurkett.com. You can find her on Threads as @tracyhahnburkett.
This isn’t exactly about politics, but I agree with you that as writers, we have the responsibility to use our honed talents and skills to promote causes we believe in. For years, I kept my writing life separate from my public school teaching life. Then I got frustrated with something I was seeing at work, and decided to write a guest post to advocate for something better. My supervisors ended up seeing it and applauded me not only for that post, but for my other writing work. It doesn’t make things easier, but I think there’s always something gained when you reveal your whole self.
Congrats for speaking out at work! That was brave, and I’m glad it turned out well. That’s not always the case in school or an office (or for a writer); that’s why the decision should be made with care. But when you truly believe something is wrong, I think the regret in failing to speak can often leave a deep and lasting cut.
“Are you the kind of person you want to be?”
You mean….Mirror Moments don’t just happen to the main characters in our stories? Thank you. Good food for thought. Especially with the Syrian refugees conversation happening on social media.
I have floundered with this. My non-fiction book, a daily devotional written as a progressive Christian, was published a few years ago. My close-knit, large extended family are traditional Christians. I have chosen not to promote it with them except to give copies to my parents and a chosen few of my aunts and uncles.
A couple of cousins I love dearly had asked to purchase my book directly from me. (It’s with an overseas publisher.) I evaded them. Perhaps the better course would have been to be direct, to let them know its theology and my concerns for our relationships. Perhaps that conversation would have deepened our love for one another. Or…maybe it could have fractured the relationships, because my cousins are just as heavily invested in their world view as I am in mine.
So thank you, for your provocative writing this morning.
Lisa, what a tough spot to be in: mixing family, a religious issue AND book promotion. I don’t know that there’s any perfect method of handling that. Only you know your family members, and how they might react to a book with which they might disagree. It sounds like you might have come up with a different strategy for your next book. I bet all of us who might write books our family members disapprove of would like to know how that turns out. Good luck!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention using fiction as a tool here. I’m afraid I get hugely turned off by a writer pounding his fist and lecturing me on what he thinks I should do–I unfriended a fairly science fiction author for a constant barrage of politics. His attitude was that if you didn’t believe his way, you were just plain wrong. That’s the problem with politics. All of our experiences–and even where we live–make our views different from other people, and it’ll look like they’re being crazy because they don’t see the same thing.
But fiction is a lot difference, because you can plop the problem in the story and let the reader make their own decisions based on the story and the characters. I’ve been reading These are the Voyages, which is an in-depth look at each episode of Star Trek. Many of the episodes put something that was going in in the news into a science fiction story–but it’s hard to see today without the context of the time.
And it’s a challenge for the fiction writer not to turn it into something preachy. But even just something like putting a diverse character in your story is taking a small step in that direction.
Linda, you make a great point in this comment. And it’s not just that there’s a book called These are the Voyages, which I knew nothing about! (So awesome…)
Fiction writers employ settings, characters, plot points, etc., all of which can make use of various issues. If you feel strongly that you want to bring attention to the issue of modern sexual slavery, incorporate that into your story. You can set that almost anywhere (unfortunately), create law enforcement and criminal characters, victims and more. But you focus on the story. Don’t preach, as you point out; then your story and your book fail. That’s not why people pick up novels. But if your story is compelling, people will learn about the issue in your book.
Thought-provoking words today, especially on the heels of Porter Anderson’s latest provocation. There’s so much bloody noise out there. But I agree with you that its important to speak out against what we perceive as unjust. Its just so hard to be heard in the din. We live in times of upheaval and great change, but what never changes is the struggle we are engaged in as humans to live together in this beautiful world. I believe we have an obligation to speak out, and I applaud you for taking the courageous step to say your piece. I’m sure you do it eloquently. As writers, we can each find a way to tell stories that shine a light on the larger struggle. That’s my aim, at any rate. If story is what we humans use to guide us through the dark forest, then we writers are in a position to be map makers. Not a bad gig, as gigs go. Thanks for the inspiration.
Well said. Thank you, Susan.
I hear you, Tracy! And as a fellow writer from NH, I feel your frustration. Not only are there major global issues, our NH state politics leave much to be desired.
The way I see it, writers write. That’s our superpower. Whether we convey what we feel passionate about through story or through other writing, it’s all good. The important thing is to get the message out there.
It’s very easy to focus on internet kitties and avoid real issues. How many people will take the time to write to the government to voice their concerns? Not many. And the government takes the peoples’ silence as consent that they are doing a great job. Unless the government hears from the people, loud and clear, they will not take action.
Writers have another superpower besides writing, and that’s research. We know how to find those facts and quotes that some hope to keep hidden. I believe it’s important to share that truth with others.
It’s possible our fiction readers will be turned off by our political statements and concerns, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m here to prove the theory that the pen is mightier than the sword.
Writing as our superpower–I like that. And you’re right about the importance of the ability to research. Shining light on the truth–a superpower if ever there was one. Thanks for your comment, Gina (fellow Granite-stater!)
Hi Tracy and thanks for a thoughtful piece. I enjoyed reading your personal story and recognised many parts of it as aligned with my own.
For me, an invaluable opportunity of engaging in social media is that it invites us to stand for who we are in the collective, and learn more about how to use the power of words to influence and affect others.
Like many of us, I love being appreciated and find rejection challenging. And just as important, as a passionate social activist, if I do raise my voice publicly on an issue, I want the position I am representing to be heard and understood, even if not necessarily agreed with. This puts the onus on me to find ways to communicate my message clearly, cogently and in a way that respects other points of view than my own. However skilfully I may do this, I’m not omniscient and I cannot always anticipate my readers’ potential sore spots. If my words attract a harsh or negative response, I have choices around how to receive such feedback and whether and how to respond myself.
As a kid, I used to dream of becoming a diplomat when grown up. I changed my mind once I looked in detail at the typical education and path of a career diplomat. Now, in my third age, I have a chance via social media to develop and practice skills of diplomacy in daily life. I aspire to stand for truth with compassion, respect and kindness. Don’t always achieve it; still a work in progress!
In fiction, I often include real historical characters. It’s a challenge to recognise, understand and represent what motivated certain people in history to be and do what they did. I learn much when I research those’ people who seem most different from me.
One thing I have noticed is that the more ‘attached’ I feel to whether I win friends and influence people with my words, the less effective my writing seems to be, and vice versa.
Thanks again, Tracy, and all the best to you with your novel.
Thank you for this comment; you make several good points here.
As a writer with any sort of public persona, it is important to think before you publish, Facebook or tweet. Everything you do can potentially affect people’s perception of who you are. Does that mean you have to limit what you say? Maybe. But perhaps more importantly, it limits how you say it.
Unless your career is built on biting satire, perhaps it’s best to stay away from trashing people. Criticize policy and those who make it with respect. Know your facts. If you do trash someone publicly, make darn sure you’ve got defensible reasons for doing so. And grow a thick skin, because when you start talking about this stuff, you’re going to become a target of nasty comments yourself. (This I know from experience.)
I’ve struggled with this question myself. In some writing groups, the prevailing wisdom is to avoid taking any political stances or even discussing anything related to politics or world events.
Like you, I view myself as responsible for improving situations for people who have traditionally been held back and told they don’t count. I have two grown sons and have raised them to develop their consciences and live to make life better for those they encounter. If I were to avoid doing that because I’m a writer, I would be a hypocrite.
The one place I don’t touch on politics or world events is my Facebook author page. Otherwise, on my personal page and Twitter account, everything is fair game. When I do encounter an opinion that goes against what I believe, I also do everything possible to be courteous and respectful. If I can’t, I state why I can’t participate, then I back out until I can control my reactions.
Barbara, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why Facebook is such a repository of hateful, conspiratorial rants. It’s one of the reasons I don’t spend as much time there as I do on Twitter. I block certain people, but they soon come back.
I have had to go so far on my parenting blog as to write a formal policy regarding racist, hateful comments (I won’t post or reply to them). Comments like that anywhere aren’t worthy of acknowledgement, in my opinion. But I honestly welcome thoughtful, well-reasoned comments that disagree with what I have written. I find that in many cases, I learn something from such commenters, I sharpen my own arguments, or both.
I know the feelings, Tracy. I’m working up to publishing a novel titled Gundown that tackles, among other political topics, gun violence. The notion is to create a world in which readers can virtually experience a society that is doing things about gun violence. The aim is not to tell people what to do but to stimulate fresh thought about what can be done. All in the context of a suspenseful, character-driven story. Thanks for your good words on this touchy topic.
Ray, that sounds intriguing, particularly the character-driven part. (Always the way to my heart!) Let us know when we can read it!
I have mixed feelings on the topic. Certainly a writer should write about what compels her and drives her passions. However, in my experience usually when I see a post written about a political issue it is more a rant rather than a cogent argument that has the potential to change my view or make me think differently. And often filled with that writer’s bias.
As another reader commented here – the stance is often that if you don’t agree with whatever the writer is saying, you are sick, biased, bigoted, an idiot or worse. And I believe this is where it leaves a bad taste in reader’s mouths. Because it seems to be written from such a personal place, it is difficult not to take it personally or be insulted by it. In fact, I have stopped reading some writers because of this. Not because their views differed from mine but because they espoused those views from a my way or the highway stance.
As you said, we all have our political views, and obviously if we agreed with one another than there’d be no need to espouse those views. And everybody thinks they are right, regardless of what side of the issue they stand on. And it’s rare that anyone changes anyone’s mind, especially on a hot button issue.
I’ve written political posts, mostly satire, on my blog in years past. For which I got some flack and lost a few readers. Most notably someone I considered a friend and over a post that was really just making fun of politics and in what I believed was a very light manner. But because it was about a politician she greatly admired she was very offended. And no amount of conversation healed that relationship.
It was at that point that I decided that I was going to stay away from such posts. Not because I was scared but because when weighed against the loss of human connections with others it simply wasn’t worth it.
The other issue that may give writers pause is the mob mentality that can start on social media venues. A talented writer can get people whipped into a frenzy and create a mob of attack bots to go after anyone who doesn’t agree. In fact, not long ago a writer made a big stink about how their book was being panned because of a political bias. So much noise was made about this that I went to Amazon and spent three hours reading the bad reviews to see for myself. It turned out that of the bad reviews I read, a very tiny percentage of them even mentioned the issue. By and large the book was being panned for an odd style the writer had used in writing it – not the political issue. But that wouldn’t have created the controversy or the support the writer was obviously seeking.
To me, political views if written well and make a cogent argument are fine. However, I find that rare, even from political writers. I don’t think anyone can truly write from a non-biased slant. So I tend to stay away both as a reader and a writer.
Thought provoking post, thanks.
Annie
Annie, there’s so much in your comment, I don’t think I can address it all. But I will say that I think what you wrote expresses a sentiment that matches the reason so many people today despise American politics–and therefore why it can be dangerous for a writer to venture into that minefield.
We do need to get back to a place where people can discuss policy without labeling those who oppose their views as evil. As writers, I’d like to think we can contribute to that goal where the politicians are failing. It’s the only way to accomplish anything.
My own blog has evolved from writing and family life to include lots more religion and politics because they are a part of who I am now. I cannot separate my work from my beliefs. Yes, it comes at a cost but it’s a cost I’m willing to pay to remain true.
Great post covering a topic I do think about often when I go to tweet or blog. But in the end, if I feel very strongly about an issue and feel that even my very small part in the discussion might help–I’m going to say what I deeply feel. And yes, my fiction reflects societal arguments also. It’s not the WHOLE STORY, but it sometimes rides in the back ground or presents a thematic element, because in today’s society these issues are ever-present. And a final thought–would you reject a great work of fiction if you knew the author voted for the OTHER presidential candidate?
Beth, interesting question. I hope people read authors who disagree with them. If we only read (and talk to) those with whom we agree, we prevent ourselves from learning anything new.
Great post! For me it wasn’t so much political, as spiritual. I am the author of Televenge. A novel about the dark side of televangelism, pub 2012. It received great reviews from Pub Weekly, Library Journal voted it in the top 20 books of 2012 at the Int’l Book Expo in NYC. Received national attention from Fox News, CBS Atlanta, and other media outlets worldwide. Even a major film production company (that eventually went nowhere.) But readers loved it. THE PROBLEM came later … secular folks who never heard of Televenge didn’t pick it up because they thought it was a book about religion. Conservative Christians? Well. They pretty much threw it under the bus. There is a message, but it’s not preached. The story was not written, necessarily, for a Christian audience. Inspired by true events, the book was ten years in the writing. Every day I had to decide was I willing to put my religious views to the test. Was I willing to step on toes? As a new author then, I walked where Angels feared to tread. I’ve never regretted writing the book. As a result, I know there are folks who will never again read one of my books because of Televenge. And that’s okay. We writers have a message. A passion. A view. An opinion. Writing a column, or even a novel is a privilege we should never take lightly. We’ve been given the talent to express ourselves with the written word. But the ultimate test of our character is … how do we handle it after it’s out there.
Tracy, never apologize for expressing your personal opinions. Unless it’s threatening or outright slander, everyone has the right to their own opinion, no matter how unpopular they might be. In the political world, people say outrageous things. But no one who speaks out should get too upset when someone talks back to them. You also shouldn’t avoid expressing yourself, so others won’t get upset. Believe me! I spent most of my life tiptoeing around people’s feelings and sentiments. I wanted everyone to like me. I finally realized that’s not possible, so I quit doing it. I’ve pissed off a lot of people in the meantime, but I just can’t care how they feel.
As writers, though, we’re naturally sensitive to the human condition. It makes us more prone to personality and emotional extremes, but that’s how we end up connecting with people and communicating those thoughts to the world.
I got back into writing many years after college. I got onto Facebook originally to connect with family and friends that I’d lost contact with years ago. I became a progressive liberal activist on there and made several online friends, and lost some too! I decided to go back into writing upon retiring, and I have debated with myself and other writers about my online vocal political views. I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be me or I would be a hypocrite to stop. I do keep my author page separate from my regular profile page, and it only contains writing information. If any of my writing friends request to be friends, I let them know that there is a lot of politics on my page, so they are aware. I realize that I could be alienating many with my views, yet I have also gained some future readers. I am working on my first novel. I have one friend that is exactly opposite of my views, but we have an unspoken agreement, she doesn’t comment on my posts, and I don’t comment on hers. I do have the ability to see almost all issues from the other point of view. I may not agree with it, but I do understand it. I am not just speaking about politics now. I like to weigh all issues in my mind from all perspectives. I like to think of that as an asset to writing fiction. Thanks for the thought provoking post! :)
A couple of people mentioned Facebook and using a different approach with their author pages than with their personal pages. That makes a lot of sense to me if you want to maintain as strict a personal/professional divide as is possible in the internet age. Other people may prefer the two parts of their lives to inform and sometimes influence each other. In that case, overlap may be fine–or maybe you won’t even want two profiles. It really depends on your goals and your comfort level.
Dear Tracy,
This was such an interesting post to read. As a forty-something Bangladeshi woman writer, with a background in development work and activism, it never even occurred to me that I can keep politics out of my writing! It is after all, what makes me who I am, for better or for worse.
I live in an increasingly complicated part of the world, where freedom of speech is an issue, and nonconformity almost automatically becomes a statement. I don’t engage in statements about party politics, but on the issues of the day, I do identify as a progressive and a feminist. I think that can be quite important, particularly when I see that young people are looking for role models.
I post similar updates on my personal page and on my author page. And thanks to social media networks like Facebook, I’ve been made aware that a significant part of my reader demographic is under the age of 25. Given the state of the world, I think communicating to that age group can be immensely valuable, though there are many, many others doing so far more effectively than I can, in my country and worldwide.
I’m well aware that some people might find that offputting,and that is perhaps just something we all need to deal with. But I also believe that through fiction there are subtle ways of getting messages across, and I strive to do that through my work (and must just hope that I succeed!)
I have also been a newspaper columnist for many years, and again choose an approach that seeks to persuade people to look differently at things that they might have thought they had already decided upon, but through storytelling and amusing anecdotes rather than a confrontational approach.
Anyway, my short story collection “Fragments of Riversong” has been well received, despite several reviewers noting my progressive politics. I’m hopeful that it means that we can all wear our beliefs must leave without alienating a chunk of our potential readership :-)
Thanks again for taking on this issue, and I wish you the best of luck finalising your novel!
Tracy, during Canada’s recent generational election–as in, my generation had never had a more important one in which to vote–I reached the same conclusion. I toyed with keeping my two selves separate by creating an online persona just for political matters, but didn’t because: a) it felt deceptive and cowardly b) I don’t have time to be two people c) the marriage of the two parts works to good effect in many of the writers I admire online d) keeping responsibility for my words keeps me respectful.
That last one is probably the most important, to be honest. It’s amazing how anonymity can give permission to one’s baser instincts. But if I have to own what I do, though, I am a better listener, a better communicator, and possibly more effective in changing hearts and minds. And I can look myself in the face without wanting to cringe.
I haven’t read your columns but thank you for writing them.
I’m all for the idea of sharing your mind and thoughts in your writing. Yes, people may argue or debate with you, but it is simply you sharing your own opinion. Everyone’s writing is their own and should be free to think as they wish. Following into that, they should be free to express their own thoughts through writing as well.