Discover Your Writing Superpower: How to Find Your Role as a Writer
I was marching into the No Kings march in New York City this past April when I saw two people with bubble guns. I was like, Dang it, why didn’t I bring my bubble gun???
Is a bubble gun going to change the world? Perhaps no, BUT, a bubble gun keeps the vibe high while we try to change the world. A higher vibe keeps people going.
If you’re feeling hopeless in the chaos of the world right now, I want to remind you that writers play an essential role in shaping the future of society, whether it’s keeping the vibe high, helping people stay informed, or shaping people's opinions.
Writer Sara R. Burnett reminded me of this at a panel she was on about political action for writers. She suggests that writers can choose from multiple roles:
The Explainer
Writers who take the tangled and make it legible, putting the present moment in context people can actually use. (Heather Cox Richardson, Rebecca Solnit, Anya Kamenetz)
The Muckraker
Writers who make visible what power tries to hide, through documentation and reported truth. (Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, Jodi Kantor)
The Witness or Elegist
Writers who stay present to loss and survival, insisting that what happened gets recorded. (Walt Whitman, Amanda Gorman, Anna Akhmatova)
The Mage
World-builders who design alternatives to the status quo through speculative mythic, or symbolic work. (Ursula Le Guin, Margaret Atwood)
The Orator
Writers who understand that language moves bodies, not just minds, and structure their work to be heard and felt as much as read. (Frederick Douglas, MLK)
My Roles:
To be honest, more often than I’d like I fall into the roles of The Pouter, The Panicker, and the Complainer. But when I am my best self, here are the roles where I feel most at home in my work:
Writers who use humor to tell hard truths sideways, making the unbearable a little more bearable. (Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, Samantha Irby)
Writers who meet readers in their hardest moments and make them feel less alone. (Mary Oliver, Ross Gay, Anne Lamott)
Writers who build the room where people find each other, using their work as the door to community. (Brené Brown, Suleika Jaouad)
Your role:
What do you see as your role? What work can your essay, articles, or memoir do out in the world? How can you bring light to the world? When in doubt, The Finishing School is here to help you see your role (and writing) clearly.