When writing a novel, it’s best to show, not tell. When addressing social issues, it’s best to tell a story, not preach. The former is a rule that is always taught in writing courses. The latter is something I learned the hard way.
Novels have addressed social issues throughout history. Think of Charles Dickens’ novels. oliver twist Or John Steinbeck’s grapes of wrath. The former decries the inhumane treatment of the poor in Victorian London, while the latter depicts Dust Bowl immigrants facing unfair working conditions in California. Such books are usually serious and hard-hitting, with the aim of exposing issues and swaying readers to the author’s position on a particular issue. It is also called a social novel.
In my home country of the Philippines, Jose Rizal’s Nori Me Tangere has stood the test of time and is widely regarded as the country’s best social novel. The book was written in Spanish and published in 1887 as his scathing indictment of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines. This book led to the author’s execution at the age of 35, but also sparked a revolution.
Today’s social novels do not necessarily have the gravitas of Rizal, Steinbeck, or Dickens.Readers identify books like Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451 degreesMargaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s TaleS.A. Cosby’s razor blade tears As a genre or mystery novel. This means that their primary function is to entertain rather than form opinions, despite the issues they address, such as the suppression of freedom of thought.Fahrenheit 451 degrees), Women take control of their bodies and lives (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Homophobia and Toxic Masculinity (razor blade tears).
walter mosley’s devil in a blue dress Explores the racism faced by African Americans and political corruption in Los Angeles after World War II. This is a classic mystery that follows a novice private investigator named Easy Rollins. This book is a great example of how effective genre fiction can be in expressing social critique.
At the 2023 Thrillerfest in New York City in June, Mosley spoke about how mystery can be used to explain what’s wrong with the world. “What makes a book valuable is something other than its story and plot,” he said.
devil in a blue dress Novels in the other genres mentioned above are popular precisely because they are not preachy. This little fact leaked to me when I first wrote the manuscript that would become my novel. Meurthe, which means ghost in Tagalog. The book follows a Filipino-American bounty hunter named Domingo as he searches for the only quarry he has ever escaped. That’s the moniker for an undocumented biracial Filipino who can disappear like a ghost.
As a recent immigrant, the subject of immigration is very close to home for me, which is why I wanted my novels to focus on the struggles and aspirations of immigrants, both documented and undocumented. It’s no surprise that they are. For years, I’ve been writing a manuscript from the perspective of Monica, a white father who doesn’t know she exists and overstays in America in pursuit of the American Dream. His father, an Air Force general, does not want a political scandal. He hires Domingo to arrest his daughter and take her to immigration authorities for deportation.
The manuscript was flatly rejected by a literary agent as “non-commercial.” In retrospect, I admit that it was a naive attempt at conversion. It took years for the idea that ultimately saved my novel to occur to me. What if you told the story from the perspective of a bounty hunter? Domingo is a secondary character, a skilled hunter of fugitives and a wise observer. Unlike the main character, he is a naturalized citizen of the United States. He can afford to make fun of the immigration system.
Changing the novel’s narrator organically revamped the tone and pace of the manuscript. Meurthe It became a thriller. It tells the same story, but it’s told more effectively because it’s less preachy.
What if you want to tackle social issues but don’t feel comfortable with genre fiction? Heed Margaret Atwood’s advice. “Your job is to make your novel the best of its kind,” she said in an online class on creative writing. In other words, don’t worry about whether your book is “genre” or “literary”, focus on writing the story. First and foremost, remember that you are a storyteller, not a preacher or activist.
Cindy Fazzi is a Filipino-American author and former Associated Press reporter.her modern thriller Meurthe Now on sale from Agora Books.
A version of this article was published in the October 9, 2023 issue. Publishers Weekly Under the heading: Against pulpit fiction