What Should We Write?

Do writers have an obligation to tell a greater message within a novel, or should it simply be a fun story meant for entertainment purposes? Somewhere along the line, I slipped from telling a story simply for the joy of others’ reactions and the excitement of piecing together the narrative and into the passion of sharing important issues and ideas with others. I don’t believe the two are exclusive. In fact, perhaps the best stories are born of a marriage of these two traits: a passionate and important message conveyed with the love of the written word and the beauty of sharing it with others.

That is what led me to my most recent completed manuscripts and it is what keeps me going even in the darkest days of query limbo: the hope that this combination will resonate with an agent who can become as passionate about my stories as myself. I’ve watched this happen to other writer friends and I believe it is possible.

I think that we writers, despite all of the discouragement in the traditional publishing world, can still trust that process. I believe it helps to have faith on your side and to believe that you are a part of something greater. Religion can be divisive, as we all know, which is why I don’t talk about it often on here. My family is Catholic and I do include themes about the power of religious faith in my stories. I have good friends from a range of religious backgrounds, who are Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish, and some who don’t have a particular affiliation. The power of faith comes through in my stories, regardless of the religious beliefs of my characters, which, like my friends, vary. In my experience, no matter your exact beliefs, knowing a higher power is guiding you is reassuring and confidence-building.

On Sunday, our priest talked about the “thorns in our side”. He said that, for him, one thorn is his language barrier. He is from Tamil Nadu, India, and has been here 6 years, though he returns every January to visit family. He is greatly loved by parishioners who always miss him during that time. Honestly, he now speaks English better than many native speakers, though some church visitors struggle with his accent. Still, he described the extra preparation he takes before speaking in front of hundreds of people in English every weekend. It would certainly be a lot easier if everyone at our church learned Tamil, though he didn’t mention that. (But how cool would that be?!) Instead, he focused on what he does and what God does.

I know one thorn in my side is my health. Cancer took over a year of my life and continues to affect me in many ways, and I have other health issues that are frustrating, though definitely not as invasive or life-threatening as cancer. I sometimes joke that because I’ve been unlucky in health, I deserve to be lucky in finances or my career or something, but I know that isn’t the case. Life isn’t a perfect balance where after one really bad thing happens to us, a really good thing follows; we might even be doomed to a series of unfortunate events, but that doesn’t make life hopeless. When it comes to the health thorn, I can do whatever I can to take care of my health, accept the unluckiness of genetics, and trust in prayer.

Another thorn of mine is probably the hurdles of the publishing world. I’d love for the right agent to magically appear and approach me, eager to share my words with the world. But that’s not going to happen. I have to put forth the effort to make my work as perfect as possible and to find the right person. I also have to wait for something that is going to happen not on my time but on God’s time (admittedly always a difficult thing for an impatient and stubborn person like myself to do).

So, what should we write? I believe we need to enjoy the writing process and write for the sheer joy of telling stories, but I believe we also need to share what is important to us to build true community in our world. For me, one of those pieces is faith and the beauty of connecting with people who are very different from us. In many ways, we’re all very similar when we get down to it. That is a key theme in my stories about cancer survivorship that can resonate with everyone, whether or not they have any connection to the world of cancer. That’s one of the messages I hope to share even in the simple beauty of the written story. 💌