How can writers meet this moment in history and stay on track?

Some thoughts and advice from people I admire, with takeaways for writers

How are you going, my friends? How have you been meeting the moment lately? I’m a strange combination of exhausted and energised: I’m worn out by much of the bigger-picture news right now, while energised to try to give my all to the things that matter most to me: family, friends, work, purpose. As we all grapple with the fact that climate collapse, outdated power structures and the stability of our society look set for a collision course, I’m looking for ways to stay focused in the context of the tremendous uncertainties of this moment in human history. And yet, I’m sitting here in the sunshine, writing this to you beside a warm cup of tea, and the avalanche is not upon me yet (and I know this makes me one of the lucky ones compared to so many people across the world). So, right now, I still have time to think, debate, and consider my actions. I realise this is a privilege, and it’s one I don’t want to squander.

And so I’m wondering: what will keep me energised and purposeful in the coming year and beyond? How do I play a part in the push to create a fairer and more just society, while making sure I don’t become smothered by the burdens of constant engagement and activism? I feel that, as a fortunate person in the world (and I do feel very fortunate, even though I’ve had some difficult personal circumstances), it’s my responsibility to try to put some of that good fortune back into society by sharing what skills I can, championing other people’s work, speaking out on topics that are important to me, and trying to be a generally kind and considerate human. However, I also know that I can’t please everyone or meet everyone’s needs – and I’ll need to balance my aims with enough space and time to rest and gather strength.

Lately, all my passion projects, both in my work and my personal life, are calling to me more loudly than ever before. And I feel the same about finding places of supportive community, sharing and outreach – like this one here on Substack. So I definitely want to share more of the things that inspire me, which I sometimes skip by too quickly, in order to play my part in building up the networks of honesty, integrity and kindness that we’ll surely need to uplift and support ourselves in the coming years.

One of the most encouraging things for me after last week’s US election nightmare (and watching the subsequent rise to power of so many truly scary people) has been seeing how some of my personal heroes have reacted. Here are five examples, along with a summary takeaway for writers.  

1.      

George Saunders

George wrote a beautiful piece on his Substack ‘Story Club’ explaining why he was a) planning on getting less political on Story Club, and b) intending to get more political everywhere else. His decision-making speaks to the struggle we are all having right now about where to put our more politically toned work and opinions (I wrote about this conundrum much earlier in the year, on why I wasn’t speaking out on socials about the Israel/Gaza situation). Therefore, it’s so good to have writers like George giving us examples of how to boundary the different topics and aspects of our work.

I also particularly appreciated his direct address to Trump voters:

For those of you who voted for Trump, I’d just say, in the most loving way: Friends, you’re on the hook. 

It's your movement now.

It's on us too, of course, on those of us who were and are against what he stands for – but you have a special role in whatever happens next.  No excuses: he made it very clear what he intended, and you gave him a mandate to do it.

So, when and if the rounding up of undocumented immigrants begins, and it’s brutal, that’s on you.  When and if he comes for those “enemies from within,” that’s on you. When and if people on the periphery (gay people, trans people) suffer, when the economy tanks, because tariffs are a terrible idea, when we jettison even our currently ineffective attempts to reverse climate change, when women’s reproductive healthcare continues to degrade…well, I’m sorry to say so, but you voted for all of that.

You did. 

It’s the first time I’ve seen such a clear and precise holding to account, and I like it very much.

Takeaway for writers: We can and should strategise about how we use and place our work – and we don’t have to put all our thoughts everywhere all the time.

2.       Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis has become something of a personal heroine of mine ever since I watched her Oscars speech (I liked her before, but this was next level for me). Now I follow her on Facebook and her posts are brilliant: she’s steadfast in her convictions, but never descends into vitriol, and always looks to highlight and champion her fellow actors.

Here’s one of her latest posts on Facebook:

I gather that JLC is one of millions feeling this way and there’s a mass exodus from Twitter at the moment. I got out early in the year, wrote about it here, and I haven’t had a second of regret, so I’d highly recommend it. I haven’t yet joined Threads or Blue Sky – I’m not sure about them as it sounds like more of the same, but I like the rolling conversation aspect of these kinds of social media, so I might be tempted next year if I decide I have time to play over in another space! If any of you have good or bad experiences on those platforms I’d love to hear about them.

Takeaway for writers: We don’t have to do things or stay in spaces that no longer work for us. In fact, they may be holding us back from better things.

3.       Brene Brown

Brene has written about how hard it is to have big-picture hope right now, suggesting that microdosing hope is therefore a much better idea. Brene has done so many scientific studies around compassion, kindness, gratitude and suchlike that she’s definitely someone we can trust when it feels like the world is going in the wrong direction at such a critical time in history.  

At the beginning of my writing time last weekend, I thought hard about why I was working on my current project, as I always want to really believe in what I’m doing. The answer is that I want to entertain people and offer escape into other worlds and lives and histories, while also exploring topics I care about or things that inspire me. There’s plenty in my new work-in-progress that fits this bill, and I’m glad I took the time to answer this question for myself as it helped me pick myself up and carry on.

Takeaway for writers: Go gently when necessary: small achievements are still progress.

4.      

Sarah Wilson

I admire Sarah very much: she’s a brilliant interviewer and she shines her light into hard, uncomfortable spaces, sometimes, I’d imagine, at considerable personal cost. I’d recommend her whole Substack and podcast but in particular her recent talk with Lyndsey Stonebridge on Hannah Arendt’s take on totalitarianism, which is another powerful and sobering contribution that asks us all to really think about what is happening right now and how we might respond.

What seems to be the impossible challenge for those of us wanting to go into hard spaces in order to promote positive change, is how to turn all this knowledge and learning into successful action. The greatest, most inquiring minds in the world are being ignored right now, but it has been this way somewhat for a long time (e.g. climate scientists were sounding alarms in the seventies) – perhaps forever? So is there anything we can do to turn such vast wisdom into decisive actions that might turn the tide towards true progress?

Takeaway for writers: It’s vital to keep our minds open to different, sometimes uncomfortable ideas, learn from those who put time and effort into deep, sustained research, and keep working on our own action plan.

5.       Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is my ultimate hero. Whenever she has anything to say, I stop and listen. I’m so glad to see her posting this in the aftermath of the Trump election.

Takeaway for writers: Remember the bigger picture beyond the politics and events of the day, and stay solution focused.

I hope all of these terrific people’s thoughts and actions have inspired you as much as they did me. Nothing is over until it’s over. It might feel like the bullies are taking full control of the western world right now, but we still have so many amazing people to listen to and take comfort from, and they are our guides as we re-frame and reinvigorate our own work and purpose going forward.