Making an impact by Jane Walters
It’s been nine months since I last wrote for the More than Writers blog, and it's a joy to be back temporarily, deputising for Rosalie in her absence. A lot has changed for me personally during that time and it’s also been a season of seeking God more intentionally and in a more time-committed way. Not surprisingly, it has had an effect on my writing, too, and my attitudes towards it.
It’s hard not to spend time with God and it not show. (The negatives in that sentence make it cumbersome, but I cannot with all conscience write: it’s easy to spend time with God and be changed!) I have found myself looking at the whole writing process in the light of one simple question: what impact am I making?
What do I mean by ‘impact’?
If you look at movies and top-selling titles, they are often marketed for their
‘sensation value.’ The premise is a smack-you-between-the-eyes one. A disaster.
A crisis. A tragedy. Sure, they have impact – often, quite literally. (Anyone
remember the attempt of the Emmerdale script-writers to raise the viewing figures
by having a plane crash nearby? Or the train crash in Eastenders?) But when I
think about certain books I have read, I recall those which leave a lasting
impression – that scene or character or detail I can’t stop mulling over. And
this can lead to something far deeper: change.
And this, if I’m
honest, is the type of impact I want to make in the material I produce. It matters
not a jot if it is a book or a blog or an article; or whether it is destined to
be read by the tens, hundreds or thousands; the question is the same. Am I creating
something that will bring about change in the reader? Will they put my words
down and walk on without a backward look, or will they find themselves perhaps embarking
on a different path, their vision and gait altered?
And how about this
thought: what if the words I produce effect change not only on an individual
level but at a societal one? Dare I add, a cultural one? It’s been done before.
Why not again? Why not by me, or you, or any of us?
Jane Walters is vice-chair of ACW and leader of the affiliated group Green Pastures Christian Writers. Alongside her own writing, she leads writing retreats and offers editing services. For more information see www.janewyattwalters.com
O dear! Jane, you've made me think: 'Am I creating something that will bring about change in the reader?' In my other guise as a Chemistry teacher I have no problem with answering that question...and (as all teachers will acknowledge if you don't have 'impact' as your watchword there are plenty of others that love to measure your impact often with imprecise tools - a minor rant!). But you've really made me think...and it's going further than in my writing, though it includes that certainly.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great question to consider, John, even when we don't have immediate answers. I pray you'll find the mulling useful.
DeleteThanks for this thoughtful piece. Art can be very influential, and looking around we can often see art, whether writing or visual arts, films, etc) which may influence and create change negatively - to society. It's a challenge to us all who have the hope of the Gospel to hang on to what kind of change, if any, our writing may bring into minds and lives, and a very good topic to choose and remind us of this sobering thought!
ReplyDeleteI love your comments re art and I agree wholeheartedly.
DeleteThank you so much for doing my turn this month! Sometimes we will never know how much we have influenced our readers but we must trust God that we do. A great piece.
ReplyDelete