Why Independent Writers Matter
I'm concerned about how easy it is to control narratives in modern society
I originally wrote this in 2019. It serves as a nice mission statement for what I’m trying to do as a writer.
Within every society there is a fairly narrow set of boundaries for what constitutes acceptable moral conduct. In American history, the concept of slavery fit within this standard, and when Mark Twain challenged the morality of slavery in Huckleberry Finn he helped to expand the kind of social awareness that eventually moved the moral compass of our whole society.
The problem is that challenging the moral perspective of a society is a contentious and hazardous action. An author who achieves a high standing within the literary community of his or her age, becomes reluctant to examine the existing moral structure. It is only the independent writer, who does not fear to lose a position of social stature, that is free to anticipate the moral standard of a better future.
Educated people often complain about the quality of film and literature that is widely available. There is the pretense that only the very best scripts are made into films, but you only need peruse titles like Sharknado to come to the realization that this isn’t the truth.
The Marvel movies represent one of the most successful film franchises. Although those films are great entertainment, they leave no lasting impression or engage in any controversial topics.
Even more artistic films from major studios are relatively conservative. In our contentious era, studios are fearful of any controversy. This is despite the fact that these same studios have various examples of racism, misogyny and exploitation in their vaults.
Because the effort to challenge the moral compass of a society is inherently controversial, it is becoming less and less likely that the leaders of our established artistic communities will be inclined to do so. Those who have earned reputations as great modern writers have done it by existing within the narrow corridor of what is considered acceptable conduct. By the time they have achieved a hard-won status, they have allowed themselves to become indoctrinated against taking certain kinds of risks.
This is not to say that all independent writers are champions of a higher moral standard. Independent writers cover the entire spectrum. Some independent writers fall neatly within the moral standard of our time. There exist too, unfortunately, a significant group of independent writers that endeavor to take us back to reprehensible times of moral depravity. But there is also a significant group of independent writers that, due to their low profile, are able to wrestle with important issues free from the pressure of skewed social expectations.
It really is a very exciting time for publishing. Innovations like electronic books have made it possible for small publishers to release dynamic works at low cost. These publishers still approach their novels with the same diligence of editing and refinement of the major publishers, but they aren’t afraid to engage exactly the type of challenging issues that most of the educated populace complains is absent from mainstream media. The problem is that the general public still hasn’t come to fully understand the full potential of independent books.
If you’ve ever found yourself complaining, “There’s nothing at this bookstore I really want to read,” or “There’s nothing on television I really want to see,” then take a dive into some independent books. Read the excerpts, peruse Reddit chatrooms for recommendations, and above all write reviews on everything you read.
Think of it like prospecting. There’s gold in them thar hills!
Once you find something worth sharing, lift your voice. Offer a unique opinion! There are too few of those out there these days! I, for one, am tired of reading the same old thing.
The simple fact is, when it comes to the major publishers, your review, your voice, will not bring about any change. It’s only in the independent community that the reader can help shape the literature of the era, and, maybe, the direction of our whole society.
In the absence of any real truth tellers in the media who often create false narratives, independent writers, especially a truth teller as yourself, will save us. The truth matters in a society sleep walking into autocracy. Your written words will be remembered in history. It’s changed and "they" can rewrite history as they have done in the past. Now we know, we see, we document on a global scale. It makes it harder to tell a different narrative than the truth, but they try and some believe. In the end writers like yourself will continue to make a difference.
As my own life is a battleground, in which being silenced and marginalised in order that the facade of normality is maintained through the dominant narrative that pervades educational, media political systems it's great to see you raising your voice to help expose the narrowness of the dominant narratives upon which the Western world is founded.