Through it all. I write to you in the middle of book bans, boycotts, and so much more.
I write to you in the middle of book bans, boycotts, and so much more. In the middle of whatever you have going on, and what I have going on (an infant and a toddler entertaining themselves for a few minutes, and a book deadline – or two!) to write a bit of encouragement to the writers, readers, and educators out there.
Write anyway.
It IS easy to get discouraged – like I said, we are in the middle of book bans, boycotts because of said book bans, programming of artificial intelligence’s attempts to mimic the thoughts of the human experience… It all feels like so much at times – TOO much, maybe. But that’s precisely why WE write and why we read.
To be an author, to have an imagination, to have wonder, is to have hope. Hope and faith is something that we all need. When we have it ourselves, it shows up in our words, and plants more seeds of hope in readers that can keep growing and growing. Together, we create a garden of hope. – India Hill Brown
As a writer, my goal in particular is to spread light into the world, and provide a nice, cozy (or sometimes spooky) place for the reader to relax in. I aim to showcase empathy, love, and forgiveness. To do this, I myself, have to display empathy, love, and forgiveness.
I empathize with the educators and librarians out there. You all have tough choices to make everyday on behalf of the students you serve. As we all discuss next steps on book bans, I want to remind everyone that we are on the same side of the goal: to get kids reading.
I want to share this message from a reader I received last night, and right on time:
This is one of the main reasons I write, to inspire children to fall in love with reading. Every time I read a new favorite book for the first time, I’m filled with so much joy, inspiration, and motivation to tell EVERYONE how amazing the book was. It quiets my mind from the many, many opinions of social media and inspires me to explore my own thoughts, through the mind of the main character. I’m excited and surprised by the new information I learn. I race through the pages to see how the book ends. I love these feelings so much, it’s the feeling I want to create for my readers.
I also want to talk to the aspiring authors out there, or the writers who are feeling extreme writers block in the midst of daily life. You only have 15 minutes to write on your lunch break? Write anyway. Your computer has 25% battery life left and you’re under a sleeping newborn? Write anyway (and back up your work before your computer dies!!) You feel discouraged from watching the news? Journal, think about what you can actually control, then write anyway.
I share this because as an author, we have moments where we have feel too busy to write, too overwhelmed to write, or wondering if what we are writing is even making a difference. With both book bans, and people boycotting organizations because of book bans, I stand to lose sells from either of those things. But I write. Why? Because, what is the alternative? If I am worried about losing readers, I would lose even more to not write at all. Writing is not only my career – it is part of my calling, it is my hobby, it is my power. I am writing whether it is a book, a journal entry, a poem, or a note in my planner.
Through it all, I write anyway. You should too. Or if writing is not your thing, read words from the ones who do.
Happy writing. Happy creating. Happy hoping.
Love, India.
