We all love to write and I’d wager
that most of us aren’t going to stop anytime soon. There are ups and downs,
days when we can’t seem to stop writing and days when we can’t seem to start.
But despite all of that, we’re committed to this crazy pursuit. I’d like to ask
all of us a question in light of that fact:
Why?
Why do you write
every day? Why do you sit around creating make believe worlds and populating
them with all sorts of characters? Why do you expect to make a living off such
a strange activity? Why don’t you do something more “productive” or “useful”
with your time?
Now, I hope those
questions don’t offend you. I certainly don’t believe writing fictional stories
is unproductive or useless. I do, however, want to provoke you to thought, just
in case you haven’t considered these questions before. As a writer, you should
know why you’re writing. You should have a goal larger than simply finishing
your next book.
What’s yours? Why
do you write?
In a very broad sense,
I think all of us might answer that question in very much the same way. The
specifics will be different of course, but when you strip away the top layers,
the foundation will be similar.
We all write with
the very simple purpose of changing the way people think. Even if we don’t
realize it, that’s our ultimate goal. We write stories so that people will read
them, of course, but what effect do we expect them to have? Doesn’t it go
beyond mere entertainment or escapism? Every story we interact with changes us
at some fundamental level. The characters infect us, the plot sparks a new line
of thinking, the setting captivates our imagination; something changes when we
consume stories. Something changes in your readers when they consume your
stories.
Now think about
this: what effects are your stories producing in your readers?
You wield
incredible power. What are you using it to accomplish? If the point of fiction
is to change the way people think, what are you changing about your readers’
thinking?
If you can come up
with answers to these questions, you’ll have your goal. You’ll have something
that drives you to write even when you don’t feel like it. Even when the words
just don’t seem to flow, you’ll force them out because you have a purpose.
Writing is fun, sure. But it’s also work. Work with a profound purpose.
Don’t miss out on
your purpose as a writer. That purpose is a flame that will fuel countless
books if you can tap into it. If you’re only writing because it’s fun, your
motivation will slacken eventually. You’ll give up and look for something else.
But if you’re driven by passion, by an all-consuming desire to get something
done, you’ll never stop. Even better, that passion will bleed through into your
stories and your readers will feel it. They’ll be hungry for more even if they
don’t know why.
So, what is the
point of fiction? The point of fiction is no less than to change the world, one
person at a time.
The pen is indeed
mightier than the sword. Use yours wisely.
Find out more about
me by subscribing to my mailing list at dunhamwriter.com. I’ll send you a
free book chapter by chapter, and much more!
R.F. Dunham writes with one purpose: to take you places you've
never been before. That might be a distant fantasy land, the far reaches of
space, the future of earth, or simply to an idea you've never encountered. A
student of language and culture, Dunham's stories will pull you into complex
worlds that challenge your perception of your own surroundings.
After working for over two years as a professional ghostwriter,
the time has finally come for him to release his first full-length novel
published in his own name, The Other Side of Hope. His short story, “Just
a Drop,” was recently published in Nebula Rift Science Fiction magazine and an
interactive version of the story is currently in beta testing. When he’s not
writing, R.F. can be found playing the trumpet, writing his thesis in Arabic
linguistics, or hiking in the mountains of Virginia.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunhamwriter
Facebook page for TOSOH: https://www.facebook.com/TheOtherSideofHope/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DunhamWriter
