People need to listen more. And start talking less.

So many people are talking about the indie community of writers being volatile and destructive to one another right now. But it’s really not about writing or books or publishing. At all. It’s about politics and the state of the world, and the divide is large and strong and angry. My question to you is this: Should writers in the indie community be putting forth their political views? Does doing so incite angry responses, drama, and controversy? Of course it does. Does it mean they shouldn’t be able to voice their opinions freely and openly? After all, they are writers, aren’t they? They should be able to communicate their views with ease and grace and coherence, right?

I’m an Indie author. And trust me when I say that I have strong beliefs and opinions about the state of the world and politics. I happen to live a life deeply close and embedded in politics. But I am also fortunate (or not) that I don’t use my real name in my indie world. In my indie world, yes, I have views and thoughts and ideas related to all sorts of things other than poetry and romance and erotica, but I save much of it for me. Me in the flesh and blood world. Me the teacher. Me the activist. Me. Not R.B. O’Brien.

That is my own personal choice to split things that way. When it comes to politics, I care. I care a helluva lot. I care about all the issues I see people fighting and tearing each other apart over. I'm not saying people should remain silent about things that matter or things they care about. But I don’t bring it to my timeline or my author pages very often or at all. Why? Because I, personally, have other places to do so, where I’m not R.B., the romance writer, a place that makes more sense for it, a place, where, I know, for the most part, I can have healthy debate when necessary.

I’m not opposed to saying something when it’s necessary (like right now). But many people post things full-well knowing it will cause a ruckus, full of charged language. And then, they complain that people are getting angry and commenting on their posts with passion and fervor and volatility. It’s not that the indie community has gotten nasty or no longer support one another. I find so much strength in people here. It’s that the world is divided in a way that is almost impossible to bridge, and the indie writing community is just a microcosm of that. Morals. Treatment of others. Protests. Calls for peace. Calls for violence. It’s a mess. And no one seems to want to listen.

If you want to focus on the publication of your indie books and find support for it, perhaps remember what you’re here trying to promote and do. Just as I don’t want religious propaganda taking up my timeline or my inbox, so too do I not want political rhetoric that is infused with hidden agendas and veiled in hate or intolerance and far too often, ignorance. Maybe we need to start listening to people who live things we never will live ourselves, and therefore, can never fully understand. Maybe we need to stop defending our mistakes and admitting our wrongs. Maybe, we need to start reading history more, rather than writing our opinions about it as if history doesn’t exist. And maybe it’s time to become just a little more educated and empathetic, rather than being right.

Put down the pen for a bit, and instead, entertain the idea of opening up your mind. People need to listen more. And start talking less.