Jordan Peterson once remarked that he was “the stupid person’s smart person”. I Very much echo that statement; I am a writer of fiction that appeals to the person of average intellect. I am not Tolkien, or Tolstoy or any of those great writers. I am just a man telling a good story.
I think too often my fellow writers want to be the next Tolstoy, and while I don’t begrudge them that, those works generally only appeal to people within a certain intellectual niche. I don’t want to write “great” literature; I want to write books that regular people enjoy. I want them to have a few hours out of their tough day to just sit back, relax and enjoy a little adventure.
I think that’s what people ultimately want. That’s what they crave, and I think too often, that’s what Hollywood seems to be missing out on. They’re too busy making stories for their own intellectual echelon that they seem to forget about the normal guy on the street. They write for their peers, and if you don’t like their content, you must stupid.
That’s pretty much why comics, pulp novels and movies existed in the first place; they gave average folk a cheap break from their normal routine and allowed them to experience a different life for a while. In the 1930s, in particular, during the Great Depression, these forms of media provided a much-needed break from the bleakness of real life. They allowed him to experience the life of a hero; a man (or woman in some cases) who lived life by his own terms. When your life seems totally out of your control, these stories can inspire the courage to carry on.
We know this scientifically, now. I recently watched part of an episode of the Jordan Peterson podcast, wherein you interviewed Angus Fletcher, a professor of story science, which I didn’t even know was a thing. Fletcher stated in the interview that he and his think tank had conducted studies on stories which found that stories can literally change our psychology. People who read inspiring stories tend to be braver.
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This is the most important work that we as writers do; we shape people. Now, we can either shape people into mindless consumers, without hope, without courage, or we can give them inspiration to carry on and live gloriously. We lift people up or drag them down. This is my personal burden; I believe that modern Western man has had inspiration and courage robbed from him. We’ve robbed the average citizen of his dignity.
So, this is my call to action; make inspiring stories. And if you can’t, support inspiring stories. Share this newsletter, buy inspiring books by good authors, indie or otherwise, and if you can, support this newsletter for only $5/month. It would mean a lot to me and my fellow indie authors.