Writing Tough Topics in Terrible Times

Using Your Art for Good

I think we can all agree that the times we are living in are traumatic. From polarization in politics, to the aftereffects of the pandemic, to the increasingly deleterious effects of climate change, and now to the terrible things happening around the world, we have the misfortune to be experiencing a unique set of stressors and witnessing the worst behaviors of human on human.

It’s hard to be creative when you wake up at 3 AM feeling helpless. Especially if you are a kid.

I believe that it is the role of the artist to crack open the barriers that create conflict. In order to get through these times we need to reinterpret them and express what is happening through a different lens, one that is accessible, one that may mirror events but with a flipped reflection.

To see a thing true, sometimes we need to see that thing from another direction.

By Example

[note: All the books I mention here, plus more, can be purchased at my Bookshop store here: https://bookshop.org/lists/books-for-tough-times ]

Certain books have become classics precisely because they satirized or exaggerated the prevailing fears of the time: Fahrenheit 451 (book banning/burning); 1984 (brainwashing); Animal Farm (corruption in politics). Ironically, those books have themselves been subject repeatedly to book bans, and are again today.

Other books have revealed the true horrors of war or of racial injustice (The Diary of Anne Frank; The Hate U Give – both also subject to book bans.)

Regardless of the controversy these books have engendered, they are much needed reflections of the terrible things, as well as the beautiful things, we humans can do to one another. They don’t preach, but show the reader how hatred, prejudice, and the lust for power all corrupt, while acceptance, openness, and knowledge elevate.

To Be an Artist

I believe that to be an artist is, at some level, to assume the responsibility of addressing the expressions of our human nature, bad and good. That by revealing both our beauty and our foibles we are honestly representing our need to listen to our “better angels”.

Try thinking about your work this way:

• Metaphor. Removing the “thing” you want to say from direct expression can make it more accessible, especially to younger readers. (Animal Farm; Charlotte’s Web; Maus)

• History. Historical perspectives shed light on today’s actions. (Between Shades of Gray; The Diary of Anne Frank)

• Fantasy/science fiction/spec fiction. Fantasies can be relevant mirrors, albeit distorted. And science fiction and speculative fiction have long been the home for representation of human behavior, good and bad. (Lord of the Rings; The Broken Earth Series; Station Eleven)

Getting through traumatic times, for the artist, is a challenge. But if we think of ways to express the emotions that drive humans in ways both abhorrent and heroic we are not only shining a bright light into darkness, we are opening our own hearts to that light as well.

Writing Help For Artists

If you’re looking for community, content, and support, I’m building a mentorship program that opens in early 2024 – but it’s limited enrollment, so please let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send you an application.

I would also love to know what else you’re looking for so contact me with questions or suggestions here.