The Story That “Needs To Be Told” Probably Doesn’t

AKA “Inspiration” can absolutely be wrong.

I know what you’re thinking. “What the fuck are you talking about, Cecil?”

I’m actually shocked and amazed that I’m still seeing this among otherwise intelligent, switched-on writers but the thing is, inspiration does not happen in a vacuum. Inspiration is also not a magical gift from any kind of artistically inclined magical being. It’s an idea in a ballgown and you know the thing about ideas? They can be terrible. They can be offensive. They can be the kind of thing that you never, ever need to express and would be wrong for doing so.

I’m not saying you can’t write whatever the hell you want. I am saying that you can’t hide behind being ~inspired~ (or conversely, not being inspired) to write things that are actively offensive. ‘It just came to me that way’ is the writerly equivalent of saying ‘I am literally incapable of preventing myself from voicing every stray thought I have’.

Aim for a higher standard. You are not a helpless vessel at the mercy of some kind of trickster-muse who forces you to write every single thing that pops into your head. Or to fail to edit thoughts so that they don’t end in really unfortunate implications.

I have faith in everyone who puts pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard) that they can do better than regurgitating stereotypes or writing the easiest possible thing because it’s just what came to them. The most magical thing about being a writer is that you get to mold whole universes with your words. You have that power.

Use the power. Don’t fall into the ‘I just felt like this story needed to be told!’ trap. Be aware of showing your ass to the whole world through your actions. Phrase your ideas in their most basic terms to yourself and see if it pings any ‘oh, should I really be saying that?’ radars in your head. Then run it by someone you trust to see if they notice anything you wouldn’t want to be seen saying in public.

Write with a purpose instead of just letting things come to you. Own your purpose. Take your ability to craft with words and use it to say what you really want to say. Because everyone reading your books is going to assume that was really what you wanted to say, anyway.