Lonely Rebels Unite: It’s Novelicious

You go through quite a journey of discovery when you write a novel. The reason that long fiction is so important is because it’s an extended opportunity to learn and think about being in the world. Sometimes novels and their ilk can also be a catalyst for Big Thought about the meaning of life and the Universe itself.

For novelists, as much as we want to provide readers with intriguing stories, what also happens is that we figure out new tidbits for ourself about the writing process and about storytelling in general. I’ve written extensively on that journey already in a number of places, but most importantly over at The Story Plant’s website I wrote about what I learned about American fiction while writing Old Music for New People.

The stories we revere the most even now after several hundred years of the American novel are stories about loners (usually young) trying to figure out how to navigate the problem of worrying about what other people think of them while simultaneously being true to themself.

We talk out of all our orifices (!) about freedom in this country. That dilemma between “other people” and “who we are inside” is where the battle for freedom comes in. And, honestly, the older I get the more I see people caving to other people’s perceptions and worrying about appearances and being accepted. Which is why stories about loners–young loners in particular–are so important for everyone to read.

Or maybe you disagree. Go check out my full essay at The Story Plant to get the full experience. Here’s a little tidbit from the end of it to give you a bit more flavor:

We’re witnessing blinding change out of nowhere in our overly modern world. We’ve re-arrived in a brand-new, transformative cusp era. Each one of us is required again to figure out who we are and where we’re going next. Reading is one way to slow things down, gather strength, and hopefully begin to think more clearly than we have over the past 10 to 12 years. This is not a brave new world we’ve arrived at exactly, but it’s certainly a world where being brave (and honest) is essential if we’re ever to come of age again and find new voices for each other and new ways to live together.

From “The Sound of Young Loners“

Buy the book and start reading before the summer of 2022 expires. Just click on the Amazon Link below.

You can also go to the link on The Story Plant site for many other connections.

Happy almost the end of August…