April Advocacy

Advocacy is a strong word and an even stronger concept. It’s profoundly interesting in the sense that it captures the essence of human communication in a moving light; in reality, of course, we think in less eloquent terms- everyone is searching for a spot under the spotlight and to give their cause a leading role for a few fleeting seconds. It is accurate to say that many of us writers are advocates, and that only adds to the expressiveness of our work. Books are often written in the intent to do something, or be something, more than a story. Many of us look to simple animal fables to do this in the hopes that we can pull off another Animal Farm and break out of a troubling time in history. The real issues still exist, though, even with centuries of allegory and understated gold hitting the shelves; poverty, communal hatred, childhood bullying, and famine are in all seriousness just some of the many problems rampant in world society. But if we are true advocates, we know that just because we write books about it, people are not going to immediately remedy their issues and devote their lives to a retelling of the story in the woods. That is why advocates have it difficult. The threat of failure or ignorance or just plain disinterest is looming and omnipresent. These are society’s woes and things we seek to put behind us, accept, or in some cases run far, far away from. But in all honesty, the worst part of fighting for a cause is that feeling of moral hypocrisy- when you accuse others of doing something you’re just as guilty of. Who can attest to truly backing all advocacy campaigns ever run in their lifetime, and preach a new gospel without a qualm? I’ll clear the air and say right now that I most certainly cannot. But that doesn’t mean we should stop advocating, especially when it’s something we truly believe in. We don’t have to be experts or play God to be passionate about something, and we can always speak on what makes us who we are. The only key, really, in making ourselves believable and draws followers in our paths is the idea that we are effective, that we don’t hide our flaws and draw only from the good things. In writing, similarly, an overly saturated tone will only serve to squeeze out a storyline and force something meaningless. But to make a difference in writing, as in the real world, one needs only tap into something they really care about. That is why we are all advocates at some point or another- we never made the world and all its things, but we can always effect change. If you want to take a new perspective in your writing, try wonderstruck- it’s close enough to the reality of our world and our confusion at being a part of it. It’s an awakening experience to read from someone who fully accepts their cluelessness in the world, and in a way it gives each of us our own sense of footing in the world.