The Intersection of Fiction-Writing and Social Change

Good Guys beat Bad Guys—thrilling, suspenseful, satisfying, right?

I enjoy an exciting story as much as the next person. However, as I read hundreds of bedtime stories/novels to my daughters when they were younger, I wished at least some stories featured just-as-gripping nonviolent tactics to save the day. Or explored the whole concept of “the Bad Guys” in all its complexity. Laudably, books on nonviolent social change abound in the nonfiction section. But on the fiction shelves they are as rare as a four-leaf clover.

At that same time, I was a volunteer state coordinator in the campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace (see http://www.thepeacealliance.org/ ) It was very inspiring work, and I loved it. Still I couldn’t help but notice that while I felt lucky to speak to 20 or 25 people about how to move toward a culture of peace, books and movies were easily drawing in thousands of people.

A light bulb went off—Why not get creative types to write novels and screenplays highlighting not-violent, win/win victories? Let people see, through story, how nonviolence works and how valuable it can be. Interestingly, I discovered many others had that same idea. Probably with the turmoil in the world today, we’re all seeing the need to train the spotlight on alternatives to violence.

There is an intriguing intersection of fiction-writing and social change activism. Of course, the road to publication is long and difficult, but it’s a trip worth taking. And there is a whole writing community to help along the way. Now that’s what I call good luck.

Tears of the Desert

Some stories carry the power to grab attention and move people to action. Halima Bashir, in Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur, entices the reader into the heart of her village life where family is everything, where eating alone is considered worse than death. We’re with her through her “cutting time” (female circumcision)—a wrenching, inerasable scene—and as she confronts many hurdles to get an education and later become a physician.

Darfur becomes engulfed in war. One day Dr. Bashir treats forty young schoolgirls who were gang- raped by the Janjaweed. Their injuries are so severe she must stitch them without anesthesia to prevent them from bleeding to death. After recounting the horrific incident to foreigners, she herself is beaten and raped. Bashir is a tough woman, but caught up in an unspeakably brutal situation.

For years I’ve heard about the mind-boggling statistics of death and destruction in Darfur. I even got modestly involved in efforts to put international pressure to stop the violence there through SaveDarfur.org. But still, reading her story moved me like nothing before. How can I read this, I asked myself, and not try to do something, do something to help the people there?

That is the power of story.

The Power of Story

I discovered the power of story when my two daughters were toddlers. I saw how much children love stories and learn from them. My most telling moment came, however, when I was lecturing my daughter about not hitting her sister. She literally covered her ears. But then, in a flash of inspiration, I said, “Once upon a time, there was a little girl who hit her sister. Her mommy said, ‘Don’t hit your sister—that hurts.’” Astonishingly she unplugged her ears and listened! I wasn’t talking about her—I was telling a story.

This story didn’t miraculously change my daughters’ interactions, but it did change me. I soon learned that a willing audience met even my sorriest, told-in-desperation-to manage-a-crisis stories. This, in turn, motivated me to strive for better storylines.

Children are not the only ones who love, retain, and are influenced by stories—we all are. People will zone out on the statistics from a power-point presentation, but muse for days about a human-interest story that captures the essence of the same point. And, in a deeper sense, we’re all influenced by the everyday anecdotes, books, movies, cultural stories, and universal archetypes that soar through our psyches.

Of course, people can use stories to inspire for good or for ill. I dedicate this blog to all those who write or tell stories that, in their own way, make the world a better place.