Recently, I completed my first manuscript, just over 50000 words, and it got me thinking a lot about storytelling and how powerful that can be, certainly if you end up getting published and having your work read by other people. It’s a power that everyone has, to not only tell a story, but to give that story meaning that people can then connect to other parts of their lives. Nothing exists in a vacuum, after all, and that’s part of why pop culture has been able to punch its way into academia, because amongst all the action and spaceships and sex and drugs, stories do inform us and allow us to look inwards at our own lives or to look outwards at how society is at the moment.

There’s the old adage that you should write what you know. I think a better one is “write what you want to read,” because it’s very likely that that particular story hasn’t been told yet. As much of a can of worms as authorial intent is, I think it is an important aspect to keep in mind, especially if you're a writer. You’re able to explore issues of character and personhood and put a lot of yourself into your work, and that’s a great opportunity, because if you’re willing to take a risk and put yourself out there and tell an important story, then you’ve succeeded in giving something to the world that people will recognize as socially or politically or ethically resonating with them.

Chuck Sonnenburg, an internet critic and review show, once said in a review of an episode of "Star Trek Voyager:" “Conformity is almost never a reason to do or not do something, nor is adherence to labels. If there is not a substantive reason to not do something, then the fact that it’s outside of a box someone might put it in is no excuse not to do it. In fact, it might be all the more compelling of a reason to escape the box.” This quote rings true, as one should never be scared to say what they want to say and write what they want to write. Because often, that thing that you’re too afraid to say will be something that shatters a bigoted worldview. Such action is often taken in storytelling, in fiction, in novel-writing, in music, whatever.

If there’s a message that needs to be broadcast or there’s an issue that demands you explore it or if there’s a particular view that isn’t talked about enough, set your pen to paper and get writing! Because recognizing that there is a problem isn’t enough. And no, maybe your book won’t change the world, but it’ll be out there, and people will read it, because people want to read that stuff. The safe books are usually the most boring; the ones that preach to the choir are too predictable. But if you write something that you want to read, if you write something that you know to be important to you and put a unique angle on an idea, then you’re writing something important. You’ve done something risky, and maybe it won’t pay off. Maybe only five thousand people will read it instead of the one million you were hoping for. But you’ve written something that’s true to yourself, and that resonates with people. I’ll end with a quote by Irving Wallace, who said “To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.”