Writing To Make a Difference? #GivingTuesday #amwriting #amworrying
1. One of my blogging friends was feeling sad yesterday even though he is published because, basically, he's worried about being a mediocre writer.
2. It is easy to worry about this.
3. There's that essential sense of horror when you're a writer (in such a subjective field) about never being good enough, never making a difference, never being on a NYT bestseller list or being nominated for a National Book Award, or any award, or never getting published, or never having people notice your book exists.
4. That's not what writing is all about. (Note: I forget this a lot.)
Spartacus: Believe me, she forgets this ALL THE TIME.
5. One of my friends who is not a writer wrote me this in an email a long time ago when I was worrying about not doing enough good in the world because I am just a writer (He does good all the time). He wrote this:
"You never know what kind of positive effect you are having in someone’s life as an author. Even if it is just that someone can escape for an hour from their life, that may be the best part of their day. Think of the kid who doesn’t like their home life or maybe their school life or maybe both. When they pick up a book by Carrie E. Jones, they get to escape the realities of their life and lose themselves in somebody else’s for a while. How cool is that?"
If you are a published writer and having a bad day you can just substitute your name in there because it's true for everyone.
If you are unpublished writer and having a bad day you can do the same thing because you are writing, you are creating, you are escaping and thinking and plotting and feeling and that is a positive for you - FOR YOU! AND YOU MATTER! - and hopefully for other people too some day.
There's been a lot of articles about how reading builds empathy. And in this world? Empathy is important. Acting kindly, not making jokes about political opponents, not disrespecting other people, other cultures, other genders, other ways of being? That happens when empathy happens.
So, if you are a writer or an artist or a reader or just a person who cares, who feels like you aren't doing enough in this world, like you don't have any money to give on #givingtuesday, it's okay. Give your thoughts. Give your time. Give your kindness. Don't pull yourself down because you feel like you aren't making a difference. Just keep going, keep doing, keep surviving, keep shouting/singing/whispering/loving/keening your story out there into the world. Try to treat people with love. You've got this. Thank you for being made of star dust and empathy. Thank you for being you.
Writing News: You can still get the ebook version of Time Stoppers on sale until tomorrow? The link to it is here.
My book.