The Accidental Writer: Writing about Issues, without Writing about Issues!
For the purposes of this column, I’m differentiating between issues and themes. Themes should develop organically in your manuscript and are timeless in nature. For example, a great theme might be self-identity in the face of peer pressure, or good versus evil, or the true meaning of love. Issues on the other hand are topical. A good issue to write about might be income inequality or the devastating effects of teenage homelessness on our society.
I like books that teach me things. Historical fiction is a great example of this. The good ones teach me about a time and place without detracting from the story. I like to do this in my novels as well. I want to leave the reader with an interesting issue to ponder that deepens the writing without taking away from the characters or the story. For example, Shatter Point highlights the dangers of rising wealth/political inequality in our country without slowing the fast-paced nature of the story.
A thriller about income inequality sounds like a total snooze fest and would find a limited audience. Shatter Point, as in all my novels, is character focused, placing the protagonists into untenable situations they have to resolve. To add the issue of inequality into the book, I set the story in America thirty years in our future. The future I portray is a dystopian future with exaggerated wealth/political inequality issues. This way, the effects of inequality are seen in the background of the story as simply the way things are and even add to the plight of our heroes. Hopefully, readers will be so caught up with the story and characters that they’ll start thinking about inequality almost by osmoses.
Setting is only one way to inject issues into your writing. Characters and plot are both effective avenues to inspire thought. But before you start pumping issues into your stories, be warned. Every novel should be about the characters first and plot second. Don’t weigh down your prose with multiple issues you care about just because you have an audience. Use a deft touch and resist the urge to be preachy.
Also, it’s as important to “Show don’t Tell” when incorporating issues into your writing as it is with other aspects of your storytelling. So show the effects of the issue you’re highlighting rather than tell the readers what you want them to know. Give it a try. It might add that missing ingredient you’re searching for.
To learn more about my novels visit my website at www.JeffAltabef.com or follow me on twitter @JeffAltabef.
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