Monday, January 4, 2010

Self Expression and Other Taboos

By Keith Fisher

I wrote a blog for LDS Writers Blogck the other day, but I didn’t post it. After writing about protest songs, and being tolerant of other opinions, I realized the blog would be praised by some, lambasted by others. That’s not the reason, however, for not posting.

My writing has often gravitated toward an effort to evoke a response in the reader. I love to make people consider all sides of an issue, and I hope to gain friends in the process. Since there are eight of us with our names on the blog, and we all have different opinions I didn’t want to associate my friends with a political issue.

Also, as a writer, I want to enjoy a successful career. If I brand my writing as political, some might even say subversive, then I might lose readers before I even get any. For now, I want my name to be associated with great fiction. The kind of feel good, change your life, stories people read to be transported to places that encourage better behavior and love for fellow man.

With this in mind, I reserved the other blog, but please, in all your discontent, remember: You can’t force people to accept anything contrary to their core beliefs, and you can’t change those core beliefs through anger and coercion. Frustration breeds contempt, but when you open the curtain of revolution, what follows, is not always pretty, and the curtain can never be closed.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's hard to know where to draw the line between evoking true emotion/being honest and representing yourself in the best way to reach your readers. I struggle with this sometimes and have even deleted a post or two because of it.

I hope you know you'll never have anything to fear from me. I love your writing and that won't change.

Kimberly Job said...

Well, Keith, you are a feel good, change your life kind of guy and I know your stories will touch the lives of many.

Unknown said...

Hey look, it's Saturday and I'm reading a blog... Haha! A

Very well said. Agency is a beautiful thing. Most definitely something worth respecting. And honestly differing opinions are lovely as well. It's how we handle them that can get ugly.