This blog's theme for January was new beginnings. As the last author to go this month, I'd been pondering what to write. Then I saw a post from a fellow author saying, paraphrased, that with all the strife in the world now, being a romance/SF/F author felt like a pretty trivial thing.
I've had a slow couple of years due to real life stuff. I know it may sound unprofessional, but my creativity really does dry up under sustained stress. Far from making me want to quit, though, the current global political climate is making me want to write more than ever. It has given me a new energy and determination that I've needed.
Why? Because it's not about me or mine (as much, although I don't know if I'll ever be fully insured again.) This time it's about inclusivity and tolerance and love for fellow human beings. THAT I can bring to my writing, in a way I couldn't bring my personal difficulties.
I have always tried to be inclusive in my writing. If just one reader leaves one of my books with a slightly less narrow viewpoint, I have done something worthwhile. Mostly though, what I think we, as genre fiction authors provide, is hope.
Hope is an important thing to hold onto when the world around us is crumbling. Hope gives us the will to keep going, to not give up the fight. The idea that there is still good in the world is a powerful motivator. So if I can provide one reader with a ray of hope, I've done my job.
Finally, there's the simple human need for a mental vacation. A doctor friend calls genre fiction "brain candy" and agrees that it provides a much needed relief from the troubles of the real world. For a little while, we can get lost in a book, visit another world, and let our strength renew. Respite matters. Having something to smile about matters.
So the next time you feel that writing or reading fiction is frivolous, cut yourself some slack. Keeping yourself sane is important. Helping others stay sane, providing a ray of hope, or a smile--that's never a waste. Best of the new year to everyone, and a promise to provide more brain candy this year.
Peace.
****
Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and
brings that to her writing. Multiple award-winning author of the best-selling
Gaslight Chronicles, she has released almost sixty novels and stories, which
blend fantasy, adventure, science fiction, suspense, history and romance.
Cindy lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three spoiled dogs. When not hard at work writing she can be found restoring her 1870 house, dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book.
Cindy lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three spoiled dogs. When not hard at work writing she can be found restoring her 1870 house, dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book.
Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CindySPape
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gjbLLC
No comments:
Post a Comment