Writing for a Cause

Does your soul burn for a cause? Whether it’s the cause of Christ or the cause of Karl Marx, there will be an accusation made against fiction for a cause — it’s preachy.

Oh, some Leftwing people remember to call Leftwing fiction ‘messagy’ instead. But it’s still the same thing.

Should you then try to write avoiding mention of anybody’s cause? Some writers, especially of the more escapist type of fiction, try to do so.

This is a valid approach, but be warned. Certain persons of influence keep changing the rules about what words are allowed and what words are toxic hate speech. So your work may end up with ‘messages’ you never intended, and you may be placed where you have to offend one group or another just to tell your story.

If you do feel moved to write for a cause, you will draw haters. If you state in your fiction that enforced universal vegetarianism will cause mass starvation deaths, vegetarians will hate you forever.

But on the other hand, carnivores and low-carb/keto near-carnivores could end up being a super-loyal fan base. Even if your fiction writing skills are not yet up to the level of an Orson Scott Card or Declan Finn.

But there is a problem with your super fans. If you are a global warming novelist but proliferation, and the majority of your fans expect you to embrace massive increase in abortion rates as the only way to halt global warming, you may have a problem. Your readers may expect to agree with you on everything. You have to find a way to make readers happy without feeling like you’ve sold your soul.

That’s a key issue for all writers. You need to please a fan base, but you also need to feel like you are not a sellout. You may need to work a little harder to find a fan base, but the confident feeling you get from being a writer with integrity will be worth it.