A New Year for Writers
By Juliet Marillier | January 10, 2018 |
It would be all too easy to write a January 2018 post heavy with angst and uncertainty. I could dwell on the unsettling political changes of the last year or so, both international and domestic. I could ponder what kind of world we will leave for our children and grandchildren. I could talk about challenge and sorrow within our community of writers and among my personal circle. What illustration would I select for that post? A ship foundering on a reef, with captain, crew and passengers struggling in freezing waters, and not a gallant rescuer in sight? A pallid writer in a garret, surrounded by empty gin bottles and screwed-up manuscript pages?
But no, I won’t write that particular post, and the beautiful image above is one of hope. In the winter landscape, through the mist and cold, the sun rises once again, heralding a bright new day, a day on which we deal bravely and wisely with whatever comes our way. A day on which we celebrate every small positive step and remember the transcendent power of hope.
Easy to philosophize, you say. But how do we find hope in a world gone awry? How do we draw from the creative well when the weight of things feels almost too hard to bear?
I don’t offer easy answers. I don’t offer answers at all, only possibilities. The rest is up to you.
Firstly, let’s talk about reading. I don’t mind my stories dark, gritty and confronting. But to satisfy me, a story must contain some note of hope or learning – something positive, however small, that the reader can take away at the story’s end. If that is lacking I won’t re-read the book, even if it’s won a slew of international prizes or been feted by the most respected reviewers. Of course, fiction must contain its share of tension and challenge. Our characters cannot grow and develop if we make their paths too easy. As for so-called happy endings, any story, true or imagined, has its winners and losers. But I have little tolerance for a story that ends in complete despair and darkness; one in which all hope dies.
But, you ask, doesn’t the unrelieved grimness of those stories reflect the way things are for many people in the real world? And shouldn’t we, as writers, be opening the eyes of readers to those stark realities? Of course. That kind of writing is vital, and it’s done all the time by brave journalists reporting on famine, war, tyranny, and injustice, often at great personal risk. Their responsibility is to tell the truth. To open people’s eyes. Their work has the power to change the world.
As writers of fiction, we too can inspire change. The power of storytelling – to teach, to heal, to entertain, to draw people together with its magic – is immense. In dark and turbulent times, it feels to me more vital than ever to include that note of hope or learning in even our darkest stories. Kill off most of the characters the reader loves, if you must, but leave the world of your book better, or one of your survivors wiser, braver, or more ready to cope with the future as a result of their experience. Your readers will take that scrap of learning away with them. They may become a little wiser or braver themselves.
Our writer’s voice is our most powerful tool for spreading hope in the world. But we can practice and share hope in many other ways. We can act within a small sphere of influence or a larger one. Hope grows in the most surprising places. Some suggestions:
- Create a vegetable garden. No room? Grow herbs in pots. Share. Build community.
- Plant a tree and look after it until it can survive on its own. Believe in the future.
- Write letters to your political representatives, letting them know what matters to you. Press for change.
- Exercise your democratic vote. Never forget how fortunate you are to have that right.
- Read to your children. Read to other children. Nurture a thinking generation.
- Join a political party you believe in. Make change from within.
And, of course, keep on writing. But don’t neglect self-care. Many of us finished 2017 exhausted and dispirited, and when you’re in that state, the creative flame burns perilously low. Give that flame a healthy body and mind to work in. Get enough sleep, eat sensibly, do an appropriate amount of exercise. Spend quality time with your family and friends. Find time to visit beautiful places. Hug and play with your dog, cat, or other pet(s) – their unconditional love has a great power to comfort and heal. You can’t fix the world right now, on your own. But you are a writer, and that means you can make a difference.
I’d love to hear your ideas for nurturing hope, whether it’s through your writing or in some other way.
Photo credit: ID 63127335 @alexugalek | dreamstime.com
Juliet Marillier has written twenty-four novels for adults and young adults and two collections of short fiction. Her works of historical fantasy have been published around the world and have won numerous awards. Juliet’s most recent series was Warrior Bards, of which the third and final book, A Song of Flight, was published in 2021. Her collection of reimagined fairy tales, Mother Thorn and Other Tales of Courage and Kindness, had its trade release in 2022. Mother Thorn is illustrated by Kathleen Jennings and published by Serenity Press.
Juliet is currently working on a two-book fantasy series. The first book in this duology, The Amber Owl, will be published by New Dawn in February 2025.
When not writing, Juliet looks after a small crew of rescue dogs.
I follow Padre Pio’s sane advice: pray, hope, and don’t worry. :)
Wise advice, Vijaya. :)
You can look to history to nurture hope.
History includes immeasurably dark and horrific events– I need not name them, they spring immediately to all our minds.
But taking the long view, the world today is better than it used to be. Nostalgia not withstanding (and unlike much speculative fiction), we have not fallen from some lost “Golden Age.”
For example, we have environmental issues today, but the air and open water in most cities used to be toxic– between 1868 and 1969, the Cayuga river caught fire at least 13 times. We have epidemics now, but nothing close to what we used to. And as bad as the wars we have now are, they pale before their historical antecedents.
As a world, we keep overcoming, or at least reducing, the darkness and horror. And individuals do so too. Individuals beat cancer. Individuals beat psychiatric disorders. Individuals beat poverty. Individuals beat corporations and governments. Not all the time, but often enough to reassure us that it’s possible. And sometimes, the individual’s victory is so amazing that it would beggar belief if it wasn’t true.
Several individuals– not governments– are even working to pull humankind out of the gravity well that has always confined us. I think that’s a hopeful sign.
Global and individual progress is not constant– often, we cannot (“cannot”, not “do not”) even agree on what progress is. But by the very nature of life, the primal drives that evolution and/or the divine have instilled in us, progress itself is a constant.
And that’s a reason to hope.
PCGE, that’s a wise comment. I wish the human race was better at learning from history – we do seem to repeat the same errors over and over, and while we advance in some respects we go backwards in others. I take heart from the instances of outstanding individual courage, goodness or clarity of thought and purpose that can be found even in those very dark times you mention. Shining examples.
It’s a small thing, but I love to cook a big meal and share it. When everything gets overwhelming, it’s my favourite way to reconnect.
Oh, and spending time with small furry friends. That helps too!
I think the small furry friends are essential to mental balance and emotional wellbeing!
This post is a perfect inspiration for our 2018 writing, Juliet, thank you! I have practiced self-care this past year by reading only the briefest news updates. The more people vilify the policies they are against, the angrier and more hateful they seem. I refuse to let such ugly feelings lord over what precious days I have left on this earth. Instead, I am pouring my desire to change hearts into my WIP. I do send my characters to dark places, but always bring them back to the brink of hope. Always, hope. #choosethisday
That is so wise, Kathryn. I should set tighter limitations on my exposure to news – it is too easy to let the negativity cross over into one’s own life, where it makes creative work impossible. One step I took was to keep my radio tuned to a classical music station during the day (it is on during waking hours to help the dogs stay calm.)
I love that hashtag, Kathryn, and I’m so with you on being particular in what you expose yourself to. I’ve been doing the same, and it’s empowering. Your post today, Juliet, reminds me that our job as writers is to craft stories that (again, nods to you Kathryn) change hearts, and maybe even minds. The picture you chose is gorgeous, by the way. I spend a lot of time out there in the cold. The beauty of winter is a revelation to me, and it reminds me that beneath the ice, new life is waiting..
It is a lovely image, Susan. Here in Western Australia it’s the height of summer. If I’d chosen a southern hemisphere picture, it could have been the first green shoots coming up in a landscape scorched by fire. Or outback farmers celebrating the first rain of the season. New life, new hope!
Absolutely agree! Books that are nothing but darkness and despair are a pain. One needs that little bit of hope or redemption or insight. I also think it is kind of cheating only to write dark things – much easier to paint everything black and feel like the cool prophet than to show a glimpse of something good.
And it does only need to be a glimpse, doesn’t it? After I’d put the post up and read some of the comments, I thought that in a future post I might talk about some novels that balance dark and difficult material with that note of hope and learning. One that immediately springs to mind is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows, which, despite the whimsical title, looks at the German occupation of Guernsey during World War II and contains some quite harrowing material. The magnificent message of hope is about how a love of books and reading can form communities and keep people strong in the darkest times. One of my favourite novels ever.
To cultivate more hope, I write GOTV postcards to voters in close elections. Bonus: I don’t have to marinate in the toxic stew of bad news to help make a difference. Website: http://www.PostcardsToVoters.org
Good work, Grace! Thank you for sharing that link.
My stories will include more women making life choices, whether it be her career or man to love. That’s power!
I’ve been paying less attention to the news and more attention to what’s around me: my garden and my cats, for example. I loved what you said about the power of hope, and, like you, I require the light to balance the darkness in stories. The moment in a story when hope blends beautifully with the realization that no human being can ever prevent change or loss–these are the most powerful.
Ah, yes! Powerful and poignant stories that balance hope and goodness with the recognition that we are only mortals.
I concur! No, “real life” isn’t replete with happy endings–but the real-life story doesn’t end, as it can in books, with unhappiness, as the real-life story is never-ending.
I prefer my entertainment (books, movies, television) to be just that; entertainment; to bring me hope, admiration, inspiration, magic, compassion, etc..
If this is as true for others as it is for me:
“We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
and trouble will follow you
as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart”
____Dhammapada The Buddha,
we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones (for the influence our words and moods impart) to fill our minds with beauty and good will.
All that – but books and entertainment can also make us think and urge us to action!
I nurture hope by reminding myself that chaos must come, sometimes, and that night sets on everything eventually, even chaos. Thank you for spotlighting on one of my favorite topics, and welcome back, Juliet! You’ve been missed.
Thank you, Therese! It’s good to be back with my people.
Hi Juliet, sometimes it is hard to believe there is good in the world, it’s easier to fall in all pitfalls & traps that evil stuff sets for us. But we must never give up. We should see more often with out heart and use less our eyes for we are easily deceived and manipulated.
Reading a book is like a “voyage”, and of course it can be rocky and hard but I love it when it leads us to something good in the end.
Wishing you a great 2018.
A great 2018 to you, too, Ana.