Mercy

The last couple of days have been something of a no-show from me, I have had some issues with my sleep pattern and this has led to me being lethargic, disheartened, tired.

More so then usual.

But I wanted to take a moment to talk about something that has been rattling around in my brain for the last several days - but to discuss it, I need to share the crux of what started me on this trail.

I saw a post on a social media platform by a writer, that made a specific note of;

"Not all stories need to be told"

Now, I am going start by discussing what the posters intended point was, then I'll get to my points in relation to this.

this may be a long post, and that was one of the things I was most concerned with doing when it came to post in previous iterations of this blog. 

The intended point of the poster was that not all stories can be told at the time the writer/creator dreams them up, and there is plenty of evidence in media to support this point of view, we see time and again a film/show/game/novel being described as "too ambitious" and only finding fandom later.

We know that multiple projects have been started, only to fall apart due to 'creative' issues, or concerns about the technology (where applicable) required to tell the story in a satisfying way.

So to the extend that the poster meant it in this way, I concur, that it simply may not be the correct time in the creators life to endeavour to create the story in the way and to the standard that they wanted to.

That all being said, I have umbrage with the word 'Need'

And that is why I am writing this response.

Had the post said "not all stories are ready to be told" I would have agreed, left it be, and moved on. However the word need struck me as needlessly contentious.

No story, in and of itself, needs to be told, it is the writer themselves, the creator, who feels the need to tell a story, a story is a series of ideas and lessons the creator wants to convey, it is a concept, a dream, not a thing capable in and of itself that is capable of needing anything.

Did a story based on Twilight need to be written? No? Well, 50 shades of grey found a massive audience, and was a monumental success.

Does the world need another zombie book? Probably not. But I wrote the one I needed to write.

I am here to tell you, that all stories deserve to be told, that all creators should actively pursue their craft until they feel capable of telling said story.

And that is where our choice of word matters so much.

Imagine being stuck on a story, or an idea, and seeing the words "Not every story needs to be told" then you shelve it, denying that need, creating in yourself a loop of self doubt and a creative slump.

However if we frame it with the posters intent, and use language that doesn't initially feel combative, we could frame it as:

if you are not ready to tell a story, write the bones of it down, put it aside, and set a reminder to review it later.

Immediately the idea of a story being deserving of an audience is not what we are discussing, intentionally or otherwise.

Now we are saying, put it down, roughly, put a pin in it, do some other projects, learn, grow, then come back to it, and ask yourself if you are ready.

The answer may have changed.

Now, the flip side of this, in the mind of some writers is if the story will sell, and I am here to tell you, that all is a future problem, if you never write, you will never sell anything anyway. It would not matter one bit if you don't ever write a single word.

The need is not the stories, not the readers, it is that of the teller, we have told stories for Millenia, we will continue as a species to tell stories long after my bones have returned to dust, those stories are our legacies, our lessons, our privilege as people.

I see a lot of posts that, frankly, come across as discouraging.

So, counter to that, I want you to write the book, write the play, shoot the film, jam the song, dance, sing, fight.

WRITE THE FUCKING BOOK.

maybe I'll put that on a t-shirt.

I write because it is a compulsion, I am sat in my den right now, listening to music on Youtube, writing this long meandering post, because I want to, the post doesn't need to be written, my opinion on anything is no more or less valid than yours, or that of the poster of the post that provoked this rant.

But I needed to say it, because I would hate for anyone to forgo a project, after seeing that "it doesn't need to be told."

It does.

we need it.

Neal.