Writing and Conscience

Once in a while I read a news story that makes me ponder again a question fiction writers often get asked: "Why do you write?"

I usually preface my answer with "Certainly not for the money, because most fiction writers don't earn squat." I then go on to explain about how a storyline will run through my head and at some point when a strong character emerges I have to write their story so he/she/it will shut up so I can sleep. And often enough I do wake up in the wee hours with visions of storyline dancing in my head.

The reality though is that one reason a writer should write fiction is to effect positive change, a matter of conscience if you will. Writers should not only write about the topics they find fascinating, they should also write about the issues that societies should face with honesty and compassion.

Part of the reason I feel the way I do about writing is simple, authors can in a very real sense help others see the world around them differently (hence the need to effect positive change in a world which already has too many negatives). Science Fiction writers of old inspired new generations of scientists to seek out ways to bring imagined devices into being, while other writers helped inspire other changes.

Two stories caught my eye this morning for very different reasons. Both news stories spoke to me of how some people view their world and the denial evident at times in their views. I could write at length about how the two very different stories relate, but I won't.

For now I'll just gather the seasonings for making a garlic-cinnamon turkey so I can cook it tomorrow.