How Do You Want Your Novel to Change the World?
By Julia Munroe Martin | November 29, 2016 |
By Alice Popkorn
The very last question Don Maass asked us at the end of the Writer Unboxed UnConference earlier this month, was:
How do you want your novel to change the world?
“The purpose of writing a novel is not to get published. Every person has a story and purpose, a powerful message,” Don said, then asked us to write the question at the top of an index card. Then, to answer the question…and keep the card near where we write, to look at often.
More about that later.
First, let me ask you a question. Do you think that writing fiction is a worthwhile—a really important—endeavor? Even if you don’t get published—ever? Even if no one else ever reads a word you write?
As a child I was told I would be a scientist, a doctor to be specific. It wasn’t that simple, though. My parents told me that if I didn’t “do something with my life that helped people,” specifically helped people in a very direct way, I had wasted my life. Not my abilities. Or talent. My life. This was a given. Not a question to be discussed. A given.
And a recipe for failure.
Perhaps needless to say, when I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I finished three years of pre-med, then switched to journalism, and that’s when I realized: I wanted to write. To be a writer. It was the only thing that made me feel good. It was the only thing that made any sense to me.
But how the hell was it saving anyone or anything?
Fast Forward a Few Years
I finished my journalism degree and started working as a business and technical writer for a large corporation. It paid the bills, but then a funny thing happened. I started writing stories to pass the day. I’d send stories to my friend Carolyn, in the next cubicle over. A story about a man who worked in a box factory, a story about woman who had a Baby X, a story about a woman who finds a workmate dead in his cubicle. Murdered.
I didn’t enjoy corporate America very much. (But Carolyn loved my stories.)
Then I became a mom, and I found the other thing I love. My children. And being Mom. Then, another funny thing happened. I started writing more fiction—stories for my children—stories with my children—about a boy who solves a mystery, a girl who wants to be a princess so she can be saved by a prince, but then she enters an evil fairy tale and realizes she really wants to save herself.
I quit corporate America and became a freelance writer and dabbled in fiction, too.
As my children grew up, I started submitting short stories and articles, but even when I occasionally had (mostly nonfiction) published, I heard that voice in the back of my head.
What you’re doing is not important. Whose life are you saving?
Fast Forward a Few More Years
When I started to write a novel, surpassed one hundred pages, I was startled. I had never been able to write more than ten pages in college. That’s all I had to say. I was elated when I finished writing a middle grade novel, then another. I wrote two-thirds of an adult novel. I started submitting my MG novels, and I got great feedback and encouragement but some big rejections, too. I stopped.
Who do you think you are? You aren’t a novelist. Anyhow, how’s it saving anyone?
I stopped writing fiction. For a long time. Seven years. I wrote freelance articles, technical articles and papers. But I kept going back, looking at my fiction starts, looking at my novel. It was always in the back of my mind. When my kids left for college, I started to blog to kick start my fiction, I finished the two-thirds novel. Then something important happened.
I started writing for Writer Unboxed.
I felt like I was almost real. Almost a novelist. (Or at least an Author in Progress.) But I still didn’t feel like it was a worthy profession. Who was I saving? I started submitting my first adult novel—it didn’t go well.
Back to the Index Card
When Don asked us to write the answer to the question,
How do you want your novel to change the world?
My immediate first thought was: nothing. Followed closely by: How on earth could anything I write change the world? But then I thought about it some more. My current WIP is about a woman who feels all the feelings of other people. Back to the index card. I started tentatively, not sure what to write, but here’s what I ended up writing:
(To) bring understanding that although everyone is different, has different feelings and wants and needs, every one of them (the feelings) and every person is valid and can be/accept self as is. Everyone is loved, accepted, and appreciated for their differences. Everyone can BE. Not BE SOMETHING. And that is enough. For one another we are accepting and kind. We can be like that for ourselves, too.
Not the Happy Ending (You Might Expect)
I’d like to report to you that I got (or expect to get) “the call.” That’s how these stories are supposed to end, right? In the movie version, I came home from the conference, finished the novel, and it did change the world, and now it’s going to be a best seller. Magic like that, right?
But that’s not the point of this post—or of my writing. And maybe it’s not the point of yours, either. As Don said, our purpose is not to get published but to change the world.
Here’s what I’ve realized. I’m the princess in that story I wrote all those years ago. I’m not waiting for anyone—an agent, a publisher, or even permission—to save me. I’m saving myself.
And that’s the real answer to Don’s question. How is my novel changing the world? It’s giving me the acceptance to be whatever or whoever I am. It’s allowing me to feel the way I feel, to be whatever I want to be. Or just be.
And maybe, just maybe, if writing this novel gives me that self-acceptance and saves me, then maybe, just maybe, it might save somebody else, too.
What’s your novel’s story and purpose? How do you want your novel to change the world? Is it clear to you? Or is something holding you back?
[coffee]
Julia Munroe Martin (@jmunroemartin) is a writer and blogger who lives in an old house in southern coastal Maine. Julia’s other passion is photography, and if she’s not writing at the dining room table or a local coffeeshop, you’ll likely find her on the beach or dock taking photos. Julia writes The Empty Nest Can Be Murder mystery series as J. M. Maison.
Beautifully written, Julia. I, too, struggled to come up with an adequate response to Don’s question. I kept thinking about large public stakes and how my themes might impact the big issues of the day, especially since the UnCon occurred during election week and we were still trying to figure out what it all meant. But, you are on to something with your answer. It’s about giving ourselves the acceptance to be who we are as a writer. My writing is personal. It’s important to me. My wish is that others find something in my writing that will help them to navigate the world. It’s not an ambitious wish, but it’s enough for me. Thanks for a very thoughtful post, Julia, and it was good to see you in Salem.
Thank you, Chris — it was so good to see you in Salem, too! — I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone. For me, reading is about seeing into another world, broaden my understanding about things out of my everyday world… and so when I’m close to my own story it’s hard to see that anything I write could do that for another person. But Don’s question helped me turn that around. And it sounds like it did for you, too. Thanks again, and here’s to UnCon 2018!
Julia, this is a beautiful post. That speech Don gave about our novels changing the world literally brought me to tears., and your post did exactly the same thing. I absolutely, 100% believe that novels can and do change the world. There are approximately forty gazillion real world examples of exactly that. You will change the world, my friend. And so will we all.
Fear has no power over us.
Thank you, Jo. So much. I cried as I wrote this post, as I did when Don delivered his final words. I know you’ll change the world (you already have), now I just need to travel that (I hope short) distance to get there myself. How I wish I’d gotten that tattoo, too, with Laura Jane. Fear has no power over us. xox
It’s not too late. #nodoovers #fearhasnopoweroverus
Thank you, Amy. Love you. #fearhasnopoweroverus #NODOOVERS!!!
How do you want your novel to change the world?
By reminding everyone: Hope never dies.
That’s beautiful, Rick. What a wonderful way to change the world. Thank you for reading.
Rick, when you mentioned “Hope Never Dies”, I thought about my yet unpublished novel, inspired by my grandmother’s ordeal during WWI and its aftermath in Russia. That’s what I too hope to get across to my readers. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
I love that… “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” something I’d very much ascribe to my grandmother who immigrated to the US from Russia.
Julia, this is a wonderful essay. I am surprised that taking care of your family didn’t feel like the most important thing in the world. I often think of what Mother Teresa said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
Writing for me has always been about giving voice to the voiceless. And like you, I discovered who I was through writing and family life.
Hi Vijaya, Taking care of my family did (and does) feel like the most important thing in the world!! It has been my most wonderful accomplishment to raise two successful and independent and loving humans. But this essay is specifically about changing the world through my writing…in that regard, I still am struggling a bit, totally independent of my personal life with my family!
I love that your writing is about giving voice to the voiceless. That’s quite profound and beautiful. All best, Julia
I love your questions.
I want my novel Pride’s Children to change the world in two very specific ways: to make the world realize, through a fictional character, that disabled people are not ‘other,’ but are the same as everyone else in all the important ways, with the same dreams and hopes and loves.
And to show the world that a disabled writer doesn’t mean lowered standards.
Unfortunately, it does mean slower. Which is all the more reason to me for aiming for it to be good.
When you invest everything you have left into something, it had better be worth it.
The judgment is not mine to make – readers will do that. My work is to put in the effort and to hold to the standards of a lifetime of reading.
Fiction has the potential to break through the barriers that people put around hearts and minds.
The hardest part: marketing.
Me, I’m working hard on the remaining two books of the PC trilogy.
This is profound and so important >> “Fiction has the potential to break through the barriers that people put around hearts and minds.” Yes! As I wrote this, I thought about why I love reading so much, and this is definitely part of how I feel. As you say, the judgment is not ours to make, readers will do that. Thank you for your thoughtful and kind words, Alicia. I love the way your fiction will change the world.
Julia–thanks for this heartfelt post, and your invitation to apply the two questions it asks to myself:
1. What is my novel’s purpose?
To be the best telling of its particular story that I feel confident in putting my name on. By “best,” I mean best in relation to the reading I’ve done in my lifetime. Whether people are good at something or not, it’s certain that we all feel drawn to do certain things, to take this direction, not that one. From childhood to old age, I’ve been drawn to words and their uses. I am attracted to those who demonstrate gifts in the use of language, and avoid the company of those who don’t. This isn’t necessarily fair or broad-minded of me, just true.
2. How do I want my novel to change the world?
This question is unanswerable by the writer, and must be answered by others. But I’m pretty sure that when the writer’s gifts AND the stars are both in alignment, books that ring unassailably true are the result. This of course has little if anything to do with the marketplace, and “ring true” is admittedly a vague term. But it’s like anything great–or pornography: I know and feel it when I see it.
As to whether novels can and do change the world, that’s too true to need answering.
Writing a novel is such a long process that requires us to reach constantly for more grit, more truth, more stamina, more faith. It changes us , and by default, the world changes with us. We become the kind of people who don’t give up, who value empathy, who look for ways to add value to life through storytelling. My novel has changed me from someone who had an idea to someone who is living that idea every day. Shaping it, getting knocked down by it, then picked up again. Wonderful, wonderful post, Julia!!
Thank you for your kind words, Susan. I absolutely love your way of describing it…that by the process changing us, we change the world with us. Such a wonderful way of seeing and feeling and living the words.
I found Don’s exercise revealing and very moving, as well, Julia. And I think it’s important. Allow me to relay an anecdote about UnCon week and the election. I don’t think it’s any great secret to those who know us, but my wife and I went to bed Tuesday night (me in Salem and her at home) distressed about the way things were going. I woke up to a text from her at about 6:00 a.m. She spoke of the outcome, and then added, “Well, if there’s an upside, it looks like your time has come. The world needs Vahldan’s story, now more than ever.”
Honestly, I don’t think I have an overblown sense of self-importance. And obviously my wife is incredibly optimistic (she’s always been my biggest supporter and #1 believer). But even as our politics played out over the past few years, it all had an eerie familiarity. In spite of the fact that I wrote the original draft in 2011/12, there are so many coincidental similarities, it’s difficult to not see her meaning.
So, in the spirit of camaraderie, since you shared your card, here’s mine. On one side, Don asked, “How do you want this novel to change the world?” I wrote: “To offer the realization that each of us can reject the status quo in order to reject corruption, even if it takes us from the seeming safety and comfort of our day-to-day worlds. To help us grasp that we can reject our past failures to act by embracing our inner boldness.“
On the back, Don asked us (I think – didn’t write the actual question) to write what change we wanted to contribute to making through our careers as unboxed authors. I wrote: “To contribute to our challenging of ourselves, by using our critical thinking skills and open-mindedness, free from the resentment and fear that are used against us by those that benefit from our ignorance, pride, and inertia.”
I’m certain such lofty aspirations will cause no few eye-rolls. But I’m also certain that story is one of the greatest tools for forging human connection. And I don’t think any of us needs to have a best-seller to forge important connections. I believe each of us finds the stories that resonate with us for a reason. I also believe that good books are like ripples in the pond. The more ripples, the more turbulent the pond becomes. Together we can really make some waves. This belief sustains my journey.
Here’s to forging connection, and to making waves together, Julia!
Vaughn, I’ve had some similar thoughts about the book I’ve been working on since 2012. It wasn’t written in response to racial violence, but it asked questions about our historical/national/current racial rifts/misconceptions/prejudices. As the years have marched on and incident after incident after incident has occurred, I’ve had to revise and revise the modern-day storyline to keep up. I’ve been frustrated by how long it is taking to get it onto shelves, but honestly, it is more relevant now than ever. The concerns I think many of us have about the next four years may mean more fertile ground for the book to grow, more chance for it to “change the world.” So I’m trying to relax, sit back, and trust God’s timing.
Erin, I’m struggling with some of the same issues. What I thought could never happen (even though my MC sort of predicted it) happened. My WIP takes place in 2008 and many of our current issues are at the simmering point. We’ll see how recent events influence the story and how much artistic liberty I can take.
No eyerolls here, believe me! Thank you for your kind words. I also loved that Don said (after the questions) that he felt that we had 100 stories, in the room, that could and would change the world. Yours sounds like a good start. And I love that your wife texted you that — your novel sounds incredibly relevant and important to any time but especially this time. I know several friends who have already embraced their inner boldness and we all need role models to help us. Your back of the card sounds remarkably similar to what I felt when writing this post. I could not agree more that story is one of the greatest tools for forging human connection and understanding, too… Here’s to making waves together, Vaughn!!
I’ve struggled with the “usefulness” of my writing (and even my reading) a lot over the years, despite the fact that I went through school knowing I wanted to major in English literature, being completely supported by my family, friends, and teachers, and being passionate about Story. It wasn’t until I was an adult I began to doubt. I always come back to saying yes to my art, but no still lurks in the nether regions of my psyche.
How do I want my novel to change the world? In so many ways. But I’ll work on boiling it down to index card size for myself. :)
This is so interesting to me, Erin, and I’m so glad you shared your experience of struggling with the “usefulness” of your writing. I wonder if it’s possible that no matter what my childhood experience I still might have gotten to this point — as you have? I also wonder if you know when that switch happened? It sounds a little similar to my fear of flying: when I was a kid I was never ever afraid, just loved to fly, but now, I’m terrified. Is it a point of self awareness? A larger field of knowledge or judgment outside ourselves?
So happy you’ll be writing that index card — hope it helps you overcome your doubt. Thank you so much for your comment!
Maybe it is just that we all eventually come to an awareness of the world’s problems and how many physical needs are yearning to be met and we decide that fiction isn’t practical and helpful. It is, of course, but it can take a while to really truly embrace that without feeling like we should be doing so much “more.”
Beautiful post, Julia. I missed that part of Don’s workshop because I was busy down in the library writing my great American novel. But, Don’s question is a variation of one that I’ve asked myself often: what is it that you want readers to get out of this novel? The first one is easy: be curious and learn history. If I can get a handful of readers to put down the book and say, “You know, she blathered on and on about the Spanish Civil War and the Blacklist. Now I want to learn more and really understand how history is repeating itself and how we arrived at our current situation.” If I get a handful of readers who go out and learn about McCarthyism and the Popular Front and poor Spain’s Spanish Civil war then mission accomplished.
But the BIG goal, which I hope I can get across in this monster of a rewrite, is that we need to stop dismissing people because they’re ignorant. Let’s not assume they’re not willing to see another viewpoint. Let’s open a dialogue and listen to one another.
Thank you, Rebeca! I’m sorry you missed that part of Don’s workshop — it was very moving. Here’s to changing the world through our novels…about learning history and being enlightened about history repeating (or not) itself, but especially about opening dialogue and listening. Such an important and big goal!
Julia,
This is a wonderful post.
We change the outside world by changing ourselves, and we change ourselves through changing/growing our perspectives. I have come to believe that POV is everything. And all POV has a backstory. Now to understand that backstory…oh, the possibilities! That’s where we as storytellers come in.
Since I got home from the Un-Con I’ve been asking myself the questions you put forth here. I don’t have all my answers….yet.
But I’m working on their backstory.
My answer before reading your article…
I want my novel to help increase understanding for dyslexia. Too many people with dyslexia wind up on the street or in jails. Lives wasted; opportunities lost. This has to stop. Increasing understanding of the disability is a good way to start.
My answer after reading your article…
Writing this manuscript has helped me see how truly amazing my dyslexic mind is and all the wonderful things and people is has lead me to and is leading me to.
I’m so happy that it made you look at things differently, Leanne — it was interesting to me when I started thinking about it how very personally I started to interpret what I was writing (and why). I’m glad the feeling I got in the room at the UnCon came through in this post. Your manuscript sounds really fascinating and important, and I hope I’ll have the chance to read it someday. Thank you for your thoughts!
Julia – I think we may have had the same parents. I, too, was groomed to be a doctor from the time I was a little girl. That pressure to make something of my life was extremely intense. I also went to college pre-med then wanted to switch to English or journalism. In a roundabout way, I did find a career path that gave much back to the world in becoming a physical therapist. But as satisfying as it was, it wasn’t enough and I returned to my own creative writing in my 30s and 40s.
Now I’m writing full time and struggle against the enormity of wanting my words to have an impact on the world. Especially since I write SF and Fantasy – nothing “important” – or so the naysaying voices in my own mind tell me.
But when I look back through all my writing, there’s a theme that emerges over and over again: That the best choices we make are not made from fear, but from hope. That’s how I want to change the world. Even with my space ships and magic.
Wow, Julia. This is powerful and beautifully written. I’m so sad that I missed the con this year, and that I didn’t get to experience that exercise first hand. It sounds really special. I’m adding this to my folder of things to think about. <3
Thank you so much, Annie. It would have been wonderful to meet you at the UnCon (here’s hoping for 2018!). I hope you find the exercise as useful as I did. I’ll look forward to hearing about it! Thank you again for your very kind words. <3
Such a wonderful post, Julia. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
I see a lot of people are resonating with your message, and I must add my name to the list. It was reading Don’s craft books over the last few years that has encouraged me to think big, write boldly, and to share my own message of change, rather than being satisfied with merely writing a publishable novel. I think that is one of the reasons so many people resonate with Don’s advice — it’s not just about the nuts and bolts of putting a story together (although there’s plenty of that, too), but it’s about striving to make a difference with one’s words.
I’m glad you’ve found a message that you’re passionate about sharing with the world. I hope I get to read it. It definitely invigorates when writing about a passion, doesn’t it? It provides a whole level of context and meaning that wouldn’t be there if one were only writing for reasons of money or status.
Thought provoking question, Julia.
I was originally drawn to setting my current WIP in ancient Babylon after being outraged at how carelessly the site had been treated during the war. As ISIS continued destroying archaeological sites across Syria and Irag it seemed even more important to me to preserve a bit of the history of that ancient site. Would I wake up one morning to learn Babylon had been levelled by a bomb?
But my purpose changed somewhat as I researched and did character bios. Although I doubt my novel will alter the world in any significant way, I would like it to remind Iran (Persia) and Israel they have not always been enemies. Whether you believe the Biblical account or not, it is a story of the kindness of the Persians to the Hebrews enslaved by the Babylonians. Maybe it can help in some small way to bridge the horrible divide that exists between them now.
Love this, Julia, “And maybe, just maybe, if writing this novel gives me that self-acceptance and saves me, then maybe, just maybe, it might save somebody else, too.”
That, my friend, is why we write. To discover a piece of ourselves, to makes sense of the world around us, and to offer our insight to others.
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,” as the great Michael Jackson said.
Dee Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth and GOT
Julia, thank you for sharing what Don said about what a novel can do. I also liked your thoughts on your own work. We writers can’t help but write what has meaning for us.
I don’t consciously think about changing the world, but when I reflect on my own writing, I see that I’ve incorporated some issues I care deeply about. Ones I hope will get the attention they deserve.
In my debut novel, I made my protagonist an underwater photographer on assignment to cover the hunt for one of the lost ships of the Spanish Armada. She’s a passionate environmentalist who also cares about the preservation of cultural artifacts for mankind. Her journey isn’t an easy one as she’s up against a notorious and unethical salvager heading the dive team.
So, yes, I’d love to change the world by having more people care about the environment and take care of our history.
It breaks my heart that not only are so many innocent lives being lost in Aleppo but also cultural history by senseless warfare.
In my latest novel, a psychiatric intern tries to stop an arrogant shrink from shocking her patients. It was inspired by my work on a psych. ward. Recently, one of my readers, a man who underwent ECT, asked me to join a closed group of ECT survivors. So already I feel I’m having an impact, however small.
This story shows how those who treat don’t have all the answers, and those who are treated have lives that are often misunderstood. If my novel can shed some light on what continues to go on and how more needs to be done to support people who suffer emotionally, then I’ve taken one small step to change the world.
Aren’t we lucky to be working at something we love and something that could change the lives of others? :)
I needed this today, Julia. I was not at the conference, but I did read some of Don’s thoughts that he shared and what he wrote to his wife and family after the election. As writers we need to continue to work and build on the ideas of inclusion and understanding even though we might feel the challenge to have grown in the recent weeks. Exercising our right to freedom of speech and thought can be empowering and simply reading all the responses you received today helps. As a teacher, mother and then later in my life a nurse–I have often sought ways to reach out. Now through fiction, I continue on. Thank you.
I’m so glad it struck a chord with you, Beth. You bring up such a critical point: I agree that as writers we need to work and build on the ideas of inclusion and understanding — even if it’s a challenge. I agree that reading the responses as been empowering. I love this >> As a teacher, mother and then later in my life a nurse–I have often sought ways to reach out. Now through fiction, <<< Thank you for your kind words and for reaching out.
Thanks Julia. That was a powerful session with Don, and I still have my card safely tucked away with my WIP. What I love about your take on it, is that you are saving yourself. How can we save anyone else if we don’t take care of ourselves first? Simply being someone who takes care of herself, you show your children how to do that. And your friends. And that reverberates out in an ever-widening circle of influence so that you may never see the effects completely. Yet with your life, and your writing, you change the lives of everyone who meets you, and those who meet them. This post will echo through innumerable lives…ripples of change quietly eddying through the universe. Saving lives…
Well, this brought tears, Carol… I think because it brought back many of the feelings at the UnCon but also because of your kindness and caring — reflecting my words back and making me feel like I have much to offer…myself…and others. You can’t know how much this comment made my day. Thank you a million. I have told almost everyone I know that the UnCon was truly life changing, and I met such kindred spirits while there and this is just one more example. Thank you <3
You’re very welcome. You only have to look at the responses to this post to see the first ripples moving outward on this pond at Unboxed. And, we can’t help wanting to add up the points, to see the results. Reminds me of Leo on West Wing – “We don’t always know how it ends!” I’ll never forget the anguish in his voice as he said it. The odd thing is, it isn’t until we can let go of having to see the endgame, that we can just be, just give, just love… So thank you – your post and the thread of comments reminded me how important it is to do that. I need those reminders. Be well…
You too. And thank you again <3
Wonderful post, Julia. This is a powerful question — one I struggle to answer for myself. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Keep on writing! :)
It really is a powerful question, isn’t it, Jackie? And in a room of over 100 other writers it was possibly one of the more overwhelming public moments I can remember as Don “made us go there.” Thank you for your encouragement and kind words — here’s to writing! <3
Julia,
A great post. After reading C. S. Lewis’ Narnia tales–wonderful fantasy adventure stories (at the time, their theological basis was lost on me)–he rang the writer-bell in me with The Screwtape Letters, his wild-eyed go at the Bible upside down. I was maybe twelve. To my knowledge, there hadn’t been a book like that before, and hasn’t been since. (Let me live in my ignorance.)
It was a revelation that one could write anything(!!!) one could imagine so long as it worked. And the messages I got were 1) a writer doesn’t have to stick with one approach or genre and 2) adventure or even two people simply writing letters can be dripping with world view issues. . . if the skill is there.
In fact having now studied with Lisa Kron and Don and the many local geniuses at UnCon, I see that the ‘wanting’ of our characters (their essential element) is the capillary system for their connection to the blood of living. Their wanting is some view on changing the world. So I see fiction as open season on reaching readers’ hearts, where their wanting is, and where their fear, emotions and idealism dwell. And if I ever do that well (still trying to learn) I think the world will be changed–in that moment, in that reader, in that country.
But change brought about by our writing is like the wind, even when in a book–sensory, beautiful, important, but ephemeral. So new writers need to keep being born and learning and producing stories to reach the audiences of their days.
I can’t remember not wanting to be a writer. And my parents always told me to make my own decisions about my life. So, I majored in English in college without hesitation. The publication road is another story entirely, but I’d write even if I never see that road again. I remember Don’s question at the end of UnCon. I suppose my hope is that my stories might change the world if they change one person. Maybe that doesn’t make any sense, but I know how important books were to me. I know how they saved my life in difficult childhood years. If one of my stories could save one person like other stories saved me, maybe that will change the world. One person at a time.
“I suppose my hope is that my stories might change the world if they change one person.” <<< This actually makes perfect sense to me, too! Like you, books were critically important in my childhood; you've reminded me of that, thank you! Yes, one person at a time... Thank you, Marta!! <3
Hi, Julia:
This comment of yours:
“And maybe, just maybe, if writing this novel gives me that self-acceptance and saves me, then maybe, just maybe, it might save somebody else, too.”
Reminded me of this one by Simone de Beauvoir, in a review of Violette LeDuc’s La Batarde:
“She who speaks to us from the depths of her loneliness speaks to us of ourselves.”
The idea that each individual should be free to pursue his destiny as he understands it is a relatively new concept. In its modern form it was perhaps first coined by Pico della Mirandola in his “Oration on the Dignity of Man” (1486).
Before that, man’s nature was largely considered fixed either due to his being a creation of God, or by being constrained by his social role.
What I very much enjoyed by your formulation, and the comments here, is that we all seem to understand that the freedom to be oneself is not merely a personal ambition, but a social and moral one.
And that means my search for my own soul — and the book I am writing — make a small but important point: We can be better than we are. And striving to fulfill that promise ennobles us all.
Simone de Beauvoir’s words are as true today as they were when she wrote them… “She who speaks to us from the depths of her loneliness speaks to us of ourselves.” Thank you for sharing. And thank you also for your observation that freedom to be oneself is a social and moral obligation — that makes me truly feel that I may be making a difference in the world — thank you, David, for the lovely and important comment!
Julia,
Your essay reminded me to go back and look at my card! I love that in the end you realized that you were the hero of your own story and you got to save yourself.
I also loved these thoughts….”It’s giving me the acceptance to be whatever or whoever I am. It’s allowing me to feel the way I feel, to be whatever I want to be. Or just be.”
Those words touched me on a deep level and reminded me that it’s okay to accept that I’m still struggling with my own writing and that’s okay. I can be someone who has incredible ideas floating around my head, but stumbles trying to put them into words. And also that I can just … BE. And my being definitely encompasses the calling to write. So I’ll get there in my own time.
Thanks for the reminder of this powerful session!
Um. Hmm. How will my novel change the world?
Well. If I ever finish rewriting my novel, then my blog readers will celebrate. They will celebrate the fact that they won’t have to spend another Sunday afternoon following the breadcrumbs of my rewriting journey. So, 67 people will be relieved that I’ve finished rewriting my novel.
But that’s hardly changing the world.
I suspect that if I succeed at rewriting this novel, and nab an agent, and attract the attention of a publisher, and the dang thing actually gets published, and if people buy it and read it, then my father will be the proudest of men. This man who protected me throughout life with the words: “What if you bomb?”
Changing my father’s world is a world of change.
I knew part of my answer before the UnCon because I had scribbled it over and over in the pages of my notes for my book: self-agency. Personal independence and accountability. But at the UnCon itself something else came to light for me, particularly on Election Night. I realized as I watched friends crying and expressing their fear, anger, sadness that I felt those things as well, but there was this disconnect within me. It wasn’t until the day after I arrived home that I grieved and it in my grief I felt lonely. Then I took out my card with Don’s question at the top and I had underlined two words: connection and compassion. I won’t go into my story (I felt like I tried to talk about it to others, but couldn’t get across what I was trying to say) but I realized a good part of my depression was due to isolation, a lot of it self-imposed due to fear and anxiety. I had taken Imposter Syndrome to a new level. I even felt like an imposter as a human, much less a mother and a writer. Reading helped me more than anything before the UnCon. I read heartbreaking and inspiring stories. I read about some of the most painful things we face as humans and found bits of myself in all those stories. I knew it was something I wanted to convey in my book, but I couldn’t get past the independence aspect. I used it in a way as my very own force field: Hey, I’m learning about self-agency, that’s enough for now.
But the thing about the UnCon is that so many of you never let anyone off easy. There were too many intimate conversations that moved me even if I couldn’t cry, too many long hugs, too many story questions brought forth by Don, Lisa, and a one-on-one session with Cathy Yardley. That session alone was something beyond connecting the dots, it was like someone handing me a telescope and teaching me about the constellations for the first time.
So I think of what books have done for me and how what I write can be a pay-it-forward to not only those authors, but all my UnCon people, especially those who helped get me there.
I want my novel to change the world by providing connection to people in pain, or people who are in so much pain they feel numbed by fear and isolation in a chaotic world. To just reach one more person with a little compassion, a little empathy, and hope that when they finish reading my story they hear a little voice that says, “Take this and pass it on. Go ahead and connect with that one person.”
I believe in our stories and all of you. I believe in hope. I believe that there are more and more people driven by fear and pain and our stories, all the ways we want to change the world with them, matter, if only one reader at a time.
Fantastic post, Julia. I’m so glad we connected in person. xo
Tonia….These two things you wrote: “I realized a good part of my depression was due to isolation, a lot of it self-imposed due to fear and anxiety.”
and this…
“I want my novel to change the world by providing connection to people in pain, or people who are in so much pain they feel numbed by fear and isolation in a chaotic world.”
Are powerful and such familiar words. I wish we’d talked more during the UnCon. Although I’ve not gone through a depression myself, I’ve been through one with my husband, and I can palpably feel your fears come through your words. I’ve isolated myself as well, and I think it’s a part of the reason that the election isn’t touching me in quite the same way it is others — I almost have no bandwidth left, there’s a degree of numbness, even. Does that make sense?
You have already touched me with this small part of your story — and I hope we’ve found connection… yes one person at a time. And already I feel less isolated and alone…through UnCon and through continuing to reach out.
Much much love coming your way, friend,
Julia <3
I write to create myself. I write to expand my knowledge and skill, to shape and reshape the conceptual models the constitute my mind. In doing so, I revise and expand those models and grow as a person. I become who I chose to be.
I love this! What a strong, important message. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this post, Julia. Don’s words and the questions he had us answer on our index cards moved me so much that I shared them with the writing class I’m teaching. Even though I’ve declared the classroom a politics-free zone, I can see that many are still struggling with their grief, fear, and helplessness. I hoped Don’s words would inspire them as I was inspired.
I would add that even if you are not addressing big themes (heh heh I can hear Don asking, “Why not?”), even if you are writing a bit of frothy entertainment, you are still changing the world. The mere act of reading your book will increase the reader’s empathy. And surely we could do with a bit more empathy just now.
Thank you for your kind words, Barbara! That’s wonderful that you shared Don’s words and questions — I agree they do help make sense of the grief and fear and helplessness, even though not directly related to the world’s events. They give hope and belief in power of words. I totally agree about writing as entertainment fitting into the changing the world scheme… yes, just the mere fact of seeing another way of life, of living, can increase our empathy — so true! Thank you!
In my early career as a sportswriter, I chose to focus on women athletes’ life stories, untold or unheard. They overcame incredible obstacles to their participating in a “man’s world.” Their pioneering efforts eventually gained us the equal opportunity law Title IX in 1972. In living out their lives as they wanted to, despite terrible opposition, these outliers changed the world. But few people know about them or the limited orb for women before they catalyzed change in it. I always wanted to rectify that such women have been left out of history. I intended to commit their oral histories to paper (or now digital bits) in nonfiction. Surely that would change the world.
Yet by now I’ve lost faith in the power of nonfiction to move people. Our species seems to prefer reinventing the wheel with each generation. Distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction is a challenge even for those few with the will to try anymore.
I still believe in the novel, though, I suppose because I have no civic expectations of it. But maybe I should. If fiction informs or guides us, it does so virtually by altering our chemistry. It rocks our world within. So from that let the world altering begin.
My novel will change to the world by proving that Winston Churchill was right when he said ‘never, never, never give up.’
I think that man knew a thing or two! Those are definitely timeless words to live by, Thea! Thank you!
Hi Julia. I look through the lens of Bill Murray’s performance in Groundhog Day as what I want my newest novel to do. The Murray character keeps grinding it out, keeps stepping in the puddle of muck, keeps messing up his romance, keeps waking up two steps back in his past, as does my beleaguered lad.
But one of the messages there is that matter how we undermine ourselves, the better angels of our nature can sometimes guide us toward higher ground (and dry pants). And that others will join us there.
As Vaughn said, stories connect us, and they matter. Thanks for a lovely post.
I’ve been waiting for someone to take up the challenge of this post. Thank you, Julia, for making it personal.
In the late 50’s I spent most after school hours in the public library waiting for my father to pick me up on his way home from work. I wore out the children’s library in short order and haunted the upstairs, adult stacks where there many places to hide with whatever books I could reach.
I was in third grade when I read John Hershey’s “Hiroshima”. I remember taking it to the desk and asking the librarian if it was a true story. Alarmed, she asked, “Have you read it yet?” I knew I was probably in trouble, but I had to answer true. She looked at me sadly and said, “Yes, I’m sorry to say it really happened.”
Not long after, I was sent home from school for refusing to participate in the duck and cover exercises that were supposed to save us in the event of an atomic bomb attack. I told anyone who would listen that the wall of windows and bricks in our classroom would bury and burn us alive and we’d all be dead of radioactive rain and we’d never see our families again because they would all be burned and buried in our houses. My mother was called to school. I would not be budged. Going forward, if drills were planned, I would spend the time in the principal’s office, filled with dread for my friends who were buying into this sham.
That knot of dread flared in me again after the election results became clear and I was bothered with self-doubt.
I came to WUUCON with 220 thousand words worth of bread and circuses, which I will finish. Thanks to Donald Maass, Lisa Cron and many others, I left with the hard kernel of a different book that might be one of the one hundred that could make a difference.
Thank you for your kind words, Deb — and also for sharing your personal story. Words and books really do have such a lasting impact on us….as well as the daily dreads we face. I also came to UnCon with a manuscript which I believe will be transformed by what I learned. As you say, so it can be one of the hundred that could make a difference. Here’s to writing to understand… So glad I had a chance to meet you at the UnCon!
Terrific article, Julia. I, too, came away from Un-Con feeling empowered by the week. Lisa and Don both drove home the point that our writing has the ability to change the world. On my index card I wrote that I want the world to recognize what a better place it would be if we all did the hard work of looking inside ourselves to find and own our darker impulses rather than projecting them out onto others. I hope I can live up to their challenge.
Thank you, Nancy! I love what you wrote on your index card — and I feel the same way about hoping I can live up to Lisa and Don’s challenges and my own high bar, too… One of the things I loved about being at the UnCon was that it felt like anything and everything was doable or at least could be figured out…
Julia, my WIP is a rework of the first novel I started writing ~ 6 years ago now. Your struggle for validity and purpose is exactly the central struggle of my main character. Think that might have something to do with me leaving a career in medicine behind to seek a different kind of life? (Hiya, kindred spirit.)
Isn’t it great to be able to work these things out via fiction, and perhaps help other people do it faster and at a higher level?
Nice to meet a kindred spirit! I’m glad you can understand (but so sorry, if your struggle has been similar to mine…) It sounds like a really great examination for a character to go through — and yes it would be great to read about someone going through it, to see another perspective about how to cope. Here’s to struggling toward validity…
This is just beautiful. Thank you, Julia!
I confess that I couldn’t answer that question – how my novel might change the world – while in Salem. Perhaps it was because my mind was blown after four hours of Don’s brilliance, but more likely it was because the world felt tilted off its axis after the election. What better time than now, though, to write a story showcasing the power of hope, justice, and unconditional love? These are the very things that will repair the rifts in our country.
I know exactly what you mean, Kim! It was a hard one for me, and I’m not sure that if I spent more time on it, I’d write it exactly the same way for this very same WIP. That said, it made me really think of it in ways that I hadn’t before — which it sounds like you have as well. I love the description you have of writing a story showcasing power of hope, justice, and unconditional life…indeed, that is truly exactly what we need in this time…and most likely we’d not be where we are right now if we’d had it all along. Powerful messages to save the world. Thank you! <3
thanks for sharing your index card and story with the WU community!
Love this!
I want to bring healing — to myself, and to readers.
I read this the first time a few days ago and couldn’t comment. I’m sitting in carpool so I thought it was high time. Though the middle school is a dead zone for wifi. Hope this works. I so indentify with your journey to writer. I spent lots of time and money being educated for careers I felt I should do. Writing seemed play and not hard enough. Code for — it didn’t make me miserable like other jobs I attempted. And I agree. My writing might not change the world but it changes me. To the good. I feel so thankful to have something in my life that will always challenge me to grow. (If not make much money.)