Never Say You Can’t Survive
It’s easy to feel helpless when bigotry and bad science are becoming the law of the land, and our government is trying to dehumanize so many of us. But we have the power to make noise, to make ourselves heard, and one of the most powerful ways we can do that is thru storytelling.
I wrote a talk a while back called “Never Say You Can’t Survive” which I’ve been delivering at colleges and writing conferences all over the place. (Named for the inspirational Curtis Mayfield album/song.) Basically, it’s about using storytelling to survive scary times.
Today seems like a good day to share some of it.
In a nutshell the talk is all about how making up stories and creating worlds is an act of survival.
Especially right now, seeing people of color, trans folk, queers, disabled people, immigrants, non-neurotypical people and others in stories can help combat this dehumanization.
Imagining the worst that could possibly happen is powerful because you can imagine SURVIVING the worst possible situation.
Stories about triumphing over the monsters, stories about escaping from scary situations. Stories about building a community that doesn’t throw people away.
We need to be honest about trauma and fear and pain and how they affect us.
We also need to model kindness and courage and generosity.
We also need to understand why “decent” people take part in atrocities, and how people can justify becoming instruments of hate.
Getting lost in telling a story can also be hella therapeutic because it disconnects you from the here and now, and connects you to that inner voice that’s always standing back and making wry commentary.
Your imagination is naturally resistant to external domination. Use it.
Anger makes good stories. Channel your anger into creating the most fierce, beautiful narrative you can.
Make bigger and more elaborate worlds. Lose yourself in inventing a ton of complicated parts of your society, with a long and intricate backstory. Nerd out.
Most of all, use your writing to build community, both fictional and real. Include meaningful communities in your writing. Read your work aloud as much as you can. Make chapbooks. Share your stories. Tweet your fiction. Read and signal boost other people’s stories.
There’s tons more. This talk has a 15-minute version and a one-hour version.
But it ends by saying, “You have the power to create worlds and the monsters are scared of you.”
