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Dec. 21st, 2008 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blue_lotus13One of the kids in my writing group asked me a very interesting question today. We were talking about passions and how your passions often become a part of your fiction. Many of the kids in the group are interested in history and like to set their stories in historical times.
One of the girls said that she is very passionate about the environment, and said that the problem with being passionate about that is that it's very hard to write about the environment without being preachy.
My answer was to recommend a couple books that have strong stories that deal with the environment. But now, as I'm thinking about it, I think that the real truth is to create a compelling story with that setting, theme or plot. Right now I'm watching "Blood Diamond" which deals with the diamond trade. Because of the interesting characters and storylines, it doesn't really feel preachy.
One of my favourite books "My Year of Meats" deals with the American meat industry. Yet the characters, action and themes are so compelling that the issues or messages contained in the story become only one of the components.
Writers like Langston Hughes, Lawrence Hill or Joseph Boyden write about racial issues in such a way that the story is built around the issues, and the issues don't overcapsulate the story.
It's an interesting question and one that I'll be thinking about before next month's meeting. Any other thoughts or suggestions?
One of the girls said that she is very passionate about the environment, and said that the problem with being passionate about that is that it's very hard to write about the environment without being preachy.
My answer was to recommend a couple books that have strong stories that deal with the environment. But now, as I'm thinking about it, I think that the real truth is to create a compelling story with that setting, theme or plot. Right now I'm watching "Blood Diamond" which deals with the diamond trade. Because of the interesting characters and storylines, it doesn't really feel preachy.
One of my favourite books "My Year of Meats" deals with the American meat industry. Yet the characters, action and themes are so compelling that the issues or messages contained in the story become only one of the components.
Writers like Langston Hughes, Lawrence Hill or Joseph Boyden write about racial issues in such a way that the story is built around the issues, and the issues don't overcapsulate the story.
It's an interesting question and one that I'll be thinking about before next month's meeting. Any other thoughts or suggestions?
