Today I read a Catalyst by Michael Dean. I couldn’t read the full version as a free subscriber, but I found the following quotes illuminating.
In The Craft of Writing Effectively, a U. Chicago professor, Larry McEnerney, gives some practical advice that might bum out the romantics: ==“if you’re writing professionally, it’s not about explaining your ideas to your readers, it’s about changing their ideas.”== There are a few ways to interpret this quote, but the word that now jumps out to me is “change.”
What is the common thread between personal growth stories, call to action persuasions, academic arguments, and political manifestors? Change. … So maybe it doesn’t matter if you’re writing about something trivial (your upcoming vacation to Maryland in August) or something existential (the icebergs are melting); what matters is how you model transformation. Whether you show or tell, invite or command, a well-shaped catalyst will get readers questioning how they need to change their outlook or actions.
Up to this point, I’ve framed a core purpose of writing as something that can be of use to others. I like Michael Dean’s formulation of “being of use.” Being of use—being helpful—to others involves helping them change. And doing that requires modeling the transformation that you hope for them.
I also watched Elle Griffin’s TEDx talk on the future of fiction. She makes the case for serialized fiction—which happens to not be a new idea—they did so centuries ago in France. But she advocates for bringing it back. Why? So few Americans buy/read books, and the ones that do don’t do so for very long. And earning a set amount per book is not financially viable when your book might only sell $1000 copies. Instead she advocates for a subscription model (like Substack). I agree that the financial reasons are important. I also think that her reasons for better experiences for readers and writers are important. Readers being able to give feedback after each chapter, and writers being able to respond to that prospect can be quite fulfilling.