I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this blog has been quiet for months.
The good news is, I’ve been working hard. And I have something to show for it. I have proofs for the new editions of the first four books of the Dronefall Series. It’s been a long haul, but I’ve gone through all four again after rewriting book one almost entirely. Along with more rounds of edits, I reformatted them, upgraded the covers, and polished up the blurbs on the back. Once I’ve gotten the final rounds of proofreading done, I think I’ll finally have something I’m confident enough to promote like I’m some kind of real author, or something.
Of course—well, some of you might not know this, but I also finished drafting the final book in the series over this little blogging hiatus. Now, I’m working on revising book 5. That pretty much catches you up.
And then, there’s the soul-searching. They don’t warn you, as a kid, how much of your time you’re going to have to commit to that. It’s especially bad when you’re in some branch of the arts as a career and lifestyle. I don’t think there’s any way around it.
Because, from a worldly point of view, the arts are basically pointless. They have a survival value of approximately zero. I’ve spent way too much time on this thing. What am I doing?
Enter Problem-Solving
It’s easy to look around and see we live in a world full of problems that need to be solved. More of them are brought to our attention every day. You’ll never keep up with it all. But there’s so much we should be doing. Isn’t it our duty to solve as many of the world’s problems as we can? So why waste time on art—which doesn’t solve anything?
My author career has forced me to study marketing. And I now can see all the strings and motors. I especially notice it when an author is trying to implement what the marketing world teaches. And do you know what they say marketing needs to do? Solve people’s problems.
And let me tell you, it doesn’t actually work very well for fiction writers. I’ve definitely seen people try, though. You have to get creative, because, by its nature, fiction is entertainment and entertainment doesn’t solve problems. So, you have to force it a little. Here’s how:
- First, pinpoint the problem.
What’s something you see in the world that you’d like to change? Try to narrow it down. I know there’s a lot. Poverty? Mental health? Racism? War? Or maybe you want to go with something more specific to the reading world. Maybe we could even go for something as simple as—we need to bring back quality literature.
- Next, tie it in to your project.
So, you could write a book that highlights the problems in the world to raise awareness. You could even donate some of the proceeds to a related charity. Or, in the case of the previous example, you could just work extra hard to create what you consider an example of ‘quality literature.’
- Use your platform.
You’ve got a platform, right? This, in the modern world usually refers to an online presence. Typically, social media, but a website, blog or newsletter could do it, too. Use whatever you’ve got to talk about the problem—a lot. Raise awareness. People might not even be aware of the problem. Making them painfully aware is the first step in problem-solving marketing.
- Frame your work as the solution.
Now…the slightly tricky part. You need to make your art look like the solution to the problem…somehow. Maybe that charity idea. Maybe because, you know, being the quality literature it is, supporting it will somehow shift society to appreciate quality literature more. It will work. It has to.
Right?
Not Buying it
But I really don’t like this strategy. And for a while, I was feeling kind of bad about it. I mean, this is how you make your work matter, as an artist, isn’t it? Creativity is power. You need to use your power for good, obviously. So, you’ve got to solve problems.
The thing is, if you want to do charity work, you can easily do it without any novel-writing at all. In fact, that part is kind of just in the way, when you stop and look at the whole plan. Just start a charity. People will give money to it. They don’t need your shabby little fiction novel. You’re just wasting a ton of time writing when you could be doing real-world things to solve your chosen problem. Cut it out of the plan and focus on your goal.
So, what about problems within the reading community? What about elevating literature to the glorious standard you set for it? Well, first of all, sorry to burst your bubble, but we have enough great literature. We have enough clean literature. We have enough deep Christian literature. Also, you’re not that special. Sorry.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, I know I’m not that special. My work isn’t that revolutionary. It’s not better than everything that’s out there. I’m not the only one doing what I’m doing. And I’m certainly not going to build my whole case on how other authors are all writing trash. First off, that’s just giving the trash authors more press, and second, it’s ignoring the fact that there are tons of good authors writing even today. Modern literature doesn’t need me to save it.
So, what am I doing?
Who Benefits?
Of course I want to use my power for good. The world is in need. I have something to give, don’t I?
But my understanding of the failures of problem-solving marketing for fiction writers stands in the way. And I felt like it must be my problem. After all, if you don’t use your author platform to amplify a charity and advocacy movement, who are you doing this for?
So, I thought, I must be just doing this for myself. Unfortunately, I am a human with needs of my own. Though those needs aren’t directly connected to any human rights issues or systemic problems with society, I still need basic things. Food. Toothpaste. New jeans, eventually. Maybe writing books is just like any other job. Cashiers at Walmart aren’t worrying about whether they’re using their position to save lives or change minds. They’re just getting money for themselves and their families so they can go to Walmart and buy food. As they should.
Is it okay if I sell books because I need to buy jeans? Because I want to help my family buy groceries? Does that make my work less important?
But can I help people besides me? Because I want to.
I was thinking about this, asking myself what I have to give and who I could give it to when it finally hit me. It was ridiculously obvious. It was so obvious that I knew in that moment that I had been mislead by influences from the community for far too long, and ignored basic reality. I know what I can do.
I can write books. For you.
That’s it.
Send Me
It’s strange to me how hard it is to see what I have in my own hands sometimes. I guess I tend to dismiss it. But the books themselves are my ministry, and the readers are the ones who I’m supposed to help. Novels don’t solve problems, but don’t pretend they don’t help. They enrich our everyday lives, they bring us joy, give us a break from reality’s drudgery, help us empathize and understand ourselves and each other. They give us a break from the noise and fresh things to think about in a world that all too often feels like an unoiled merry-go-round.
They open up a new little world for us where we can breathe and dream and explore. We can find ourselves there. We can learn and grow there. And, mysteriously and most importantly of all, we can unexpectedly encounter God there.
God called me to create that for you. That’s crazy. And yet all this time I’ve been struggling to reach out in a world that insists I need to solve a problem. I need to arrange this miracle myself. I need a concrete cause, or I’m just wasting my voice. But God wastes nothing. And at the end of the day, this project is His, not mine. He’s the one who gets to choose how to use it.
And that’s the power of art.