This post has content warnings for: ableism, abortion, miscarriage, chronic pain, police brutality, eugenics, and body parts.
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Let me start this post by saying my entire life is the topic of political debate.
I was born with a genetic mutation that negatively impacts my health by making my body produce the connective tissue wrong. I am easily injured, easily bruised, and not a good candidate for any kind of surgery ever because I don’t clot as fast as other people do. This kind of inherited genetic disease is one a lot of people – good and bad – would like to eradicate. People have talked about why my parents (and then me) should have been sterilized to prevent us from having children. People regularly advocate for aborting people with my genes. People have attacked me for my decision to have my own children knowing they might inherit my disease. People have felt comfortable coming up to me and suggesting that I should kill myself rather than allow myself to experience the advanced stages of my genetic mutation.
Every choice I make is a political statement stating that I have a right to live, that I have a right to have a normal life, that I have a right to happiness despite the prejudices of others.
On top of that, I was born – and present as – female, which means I’ve spent all my life listening to people tell me I can’t do things because I don’t have a penis. People tell me I can’t think for myself because I don’t have a penis. People tell me I can’t do math well because I don’t have a penis. People tell me I shouldn’t be able to determine what medical procedures I want done because I don’t have a penis, can the please have permission from my local penis-haver before they perform any operations on my uterus?
Having brothers, a husband, and son have not given me any insight into why anyone thinks a penis makes a person smarter, but I’m willing to go see if ebay has one in a jar that I can take to the next book signing I do. The number of male-presenting humans who have felt comfortable telling me they won’t read my books because they “Don’t like books written by girls. Guys just do it better.” is higher than the allotted number (zero… in case you were wondering). Perhaps having a penis in a jar will get them to buy my books. After all, they said they like people who have penises, no one said it had to be attached.
*shrug*
With all of that going on as the background static of my life, it is impossible for me to create anything that is not political.
But you don’t need a genetic disease or a uterus to have your life be political.
One look at the news will tell you how many people’s existence and safety is dictated by politics. There are people out there willing to argue that other people aren’t people because their skin isn’t the same shade as the other people’s skin.
There are people who want to argue that people aren’t really people if they aren’t neurotypical, abled, English-speaking, mainstream Christian, fair-skinned, cis-gendered, hetronormative, and making at least $120,000 USD per year.
Let me tell you, the average author does not clear the You Must Earn This Much To Be Human hurdle.
WRITING IS A POLITICAL ACT.
It always has been.
It always will be.
ALL ART IS A POLITICAL STATEMENT.
What you put in. What you leave out. How you frame every choice and action… all of that makes a political statement.
Anytime you make a sound, you are acting politically. You are either supporting the status quo, or you are breaking the norms. This happens everyday on multiple different levels.
Your choice to walk at the crosswalk, ride a bus, or drive on the correct side of the road are all choices that support the laws governing public thoroughfares, taxes, and roads.
Your choice to recycle is an act of support for a progressive view of climate change.
Your choice to shop at a big market verse the equally accessible mom ‘n pop shop is a support of capitalism and corporations.
And within these choices is a whole world of nuance and meaning. Maybe you don’t recycle because your city doesn’t offer it, or you never buy plastic, or you upcycled everything. Maybe you don’t go to the mom ‘n pop shop because they’re racist dickheads and you’d rather support a national brand over them. Maybe you’re only driving the speed limit because you have a body in your trunk. What people see is different and assume is sometimes different than what your motivations actually are.
But that happens less in art.
When you’re writing, really when you’re creating in any way, you are controlling both your actions and significantly influencing the reactions of your audience. You can’t control the audience completely, they’re bringing their own life experiences to the narrative (and you want them to), but you do have a larger measure of control than when someone sees you on the street putting out your recycling.
The problem people run into is that they feel they aren’t being political (or aren’t reading something political) if it supports the status quo and ideas they support.
This isn’t new.
People who claim books didn’t used to be political were simply reading authors who upheld their prejudices and beliefs.
… and I realize all of that seems fairly obvious after a few minutes of not-so-hard thought, but it doesn’t really tell you how to navigate publishing in a time of intense political upheaval (at least where I am – if you are in one of the stable countries: good job! Enjoy life!)
1) Understand What You Believe And Why
It’s not good enough to have a belief because that’s how you grew up, or it’s what grandma believes, or it’s what your pastor said. This is your life, you need to own it.
Sit down with yourself and ask yourself what you actually believe. Make some notes on why you believe it. Ask yourself about it on a regular basis. Like tastes in clothes or food our beliefs in life sometimes changes. We learn new things, we experience new things, and that informs our worldview. Allow yourself the gift of growth. Let your ideas change if they need to. You don’t need to hold onto a bad idea simply because it’s comfortable and familiar.
IT IS OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND.
2) Get Educated
Not just about what you believe, but what others believe and why.
This is difficult for many people because it involves listening with the intent to learn, not listening with the intent to argue. It can be very uncomfortable to look up the history of certain things. It can make you feel bad. It can put you in a situation where you realize you were wrong.
Acknowledge that discomfort and sit with it awhile.
It sucks to be wrong. No one enjoys that feelings. But an important part of growth and being able to defend your stance in anything comes from being wrong a few times.
Remember that you can’t change the past or other people, only yourself. You are not responsible for what your parents, religion, grandparents, or others did. You can’t change what you’ve already done. All you can do is move forward trying to be a better person and make restitution where needed.
KEEP GROWING.
3) Have An Answer Ready
If you’re reading this I will assume you are a creator of some kind who is putting their work out for public consumption in some way (congrats!). As a creator, you are going to be challenged. People will come to you and demand answers. Have some ready.
Have both a quick explanation and a quick kiss-off prepared. Some examples from my own experience:
“I think people who have genetic disease should be aborted to give them better lives.”
My quick response: I think that a eugenics stance that doesn’t take into account the benefits of a diverse population and all the innovation and things we enjoy because people with disabilities are alive. Like curb cutouts and pre-cooked food.
My quick kissoff: I don’t need to justify my existence. *block*
“I don’t think women can write science fiction.”
My quick response: You must be new to the genre. Tell me what you like and I’ll recommend some books to you.
My quick kissoff: *uproarious laughter* Oh. You’re serious? You didn’t know the genre was invented by a woman? Loser. (okay… I only think that in my head… I usually just smile politely and pointing them to the safe Boy Authors nearby as my eyes roll so far out of my skull they bounce off the floor) *block*
“You’re too young to be disabled!”
My quick response: Disability doesn’t have an age requirement.
My quick kissoff: I’m cured! A miracle! *heavy eye roll* That’s not how this works. *block*
See how that works?
IT IS OKAY TO BLOCK THE TROLLS.
4) Have Your Resources Ready And Boost Voices
If you are in a situation where you are an ally for a cause, group, minority, ect but aren’t part of the group, keep some resources around to share. You do not need to be the white person lecturing about Black suffering or the dude telling women how their bodies work. No amount of academic training can replace the lived experience.
Rather than trying to answer all those questions you should refer people to that groups. #OwnVoices are better resources than academic onlookers.
This is hard for some people because it means giving up the spotlight and letting someone else speak. It means admitting you are not an expert in all things. It can make you feel less special. That’s okay, you don’t need to be the expert in all things.
I really don’t want any of you to be experts in chronic pain. It sucks.
Play to your strengths and be grateful that you don’t need to suffer everything in life. There are other people here who are living those experiences and willing to share their expertise so you don’t need to do it all. That’s a good thing.
NO AMOUNT OF ACADEMIC TRAINING CAN REPLACE LIVED EXPERIENCES.
5) Hold Your Ground
There will always be pressure of some kind trying to get you to change your mind.
Sometimes this pressure makes you re-examine your beliefs and change. Sometimes the pressure is there trying to silence you. Sometimes you’re so entrenched in a bad idea you can’t tell the difference.
This can be dicey. Especially in a world of blacklisting and cancel culture. Authors can feel very pressured to agree with people who they feel can ruin their careers. Lit agents. Editors. Readers. There will always be pressure to conform to the loudest views around you, whatever that might be. And this is where you need to go back to Rule #1 … know what you believe.
If you sit down, think it through, and still believe in something… hold to it. Stand by that belief as long as you hold it. Don’t give up your personal integrity because you think it will make you better liked, more publishable, or a bestseller. It won’t.
There is a difference between changing your mind and lying about what you believe.
Don’t lie.
Be who you are and stand by that.
…. and now what?
Well, my lovelies, you are creating much-needed art in an era of great change. You are witnessing history in the making. You are adding your voice to the great ancestral memory carried forward by literature, art, and music.
Keep writing.
Keep making art.
Let your voice be heard.
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