The big issue
In the UK we have a charity called The Big Issue, which campaigns on behalf of homeless people. Our stories can campaign on behalf of big issues too. Having an issue at the heart of our stories, and making a point about that issue, will drive the narrative, but it can also give the story extra depth.
Issues are best explored in stories through the viewpoints of the characters you create. There's a real danger when you're writing about something you feel passionately about to 'preach' about the issue. Nothing puts a reader off more. But if you can get your characters to speak about your issue and put your view through their dialogue and actions you avoid that trap.
In Panthera : Death Spiral I wanted to raise the issues of human exploitation of the natural world. I introduce this through the eyes of my wildlife conservationist Ren Hunter. When we first see her she's examining three dead kingcat cubs who've died overnight. She finds that their deaths weren't natural, and that leads her on a trail of investigation that crosses half of human space. I wanted to show how humans use other creatures for their own ends in a way which is unacceptable for me.
In Panthera : Death Song, I'm tackling the issues of greedy humans wanting to exploit the natural world. I have farmers agitating to expand their fields into the wildlife reserves, and miners who want to do the same. And later on Ren discovers more unethical experimentation on big cats.
Ren's thoughts encompass the environmental message of the book, but in a low-key way. I didn't want her to be an angry radical character raging at the world, but a figure of quiet power using her skills to do what she can to change things. Her feelings about human greediness and lack of ethics take the form of world-weary thoughts about how disrespectful humans can be to their world. She doesn't go out and get on her soap box, but goes about quietly amassing evidence.
In Panthera : Death Song I have Felis Pandalis, an interstellar Eco-rock star. She's the complete opposite of Ren, singing songs about exploitation of the natural world that get broadcast to thousands of planets. But even Felis has her quiet campaigning side. The billions of credits she makes for her music get channelled into her charity, and that charity funds conservation projects across the universe.
Conservation issues are at the heart of my young adult book Soulsinger, and I'm currently planning another young adult book which again has wildlife conservation at the centre of its plot. Writing about issues I care about gives the books extra depth, and shapes the actions of the characters. A damn good read becomes something more.
Issues are best explored in stories through the viewpoints of the characters you create. There's a real danger when you're writing about something you feel passionately about to 'preach' about the issue. Nothing puts a reader off more. But if you can get your characters to speak about your issue and put your view through their dialogue and actions you avoid that trap.
In Panthera : Death Spiral I wanted to raise the issues of human exploitation of the natural world. I introduce this through the eyes of my wildlife conservationist Ren Hunter. When we first see her she's examining three dead kingcat cubs who've died overnight. She finds that their deaths weren't natural, and that leads her on a trail of investigation that crosses half of human space. I wanted to show how humans use other creatures for their own ends in a way which is unacceptable for me.
In Panthera : Death Song, I'm tackling the issues of greedy humans wanting to exploit the natural world. I have farmers agitating to expand their fields into the wildlife reserves, and miners who want to do the same. And later on Ren discovers more unethical experimentation on big cats.
Ren's thoughts encompass the environmental message of the book, but in a low-key way. I didn't want her to be an angry radical character raging at the world, but a figure of quiet power using her skills to do what she can to change things. Her feelings about human greediness and lack of ethics take the form of world-weary thoughts about how disrespectful humans can be to their world. She doesn't go out and get on her soap box, but goes about quietly amassing evidence.
In Panthera : Death Song I have Felis Pandalis, an interstellar Eco-rock star. She's the complete opposite of Ren, singing songs about exploitation of the natural world that get broadcast to thousands of planets. But even Felis has her quiet campaigning side. The billions of credits she makes for her music get channelled into her charity, and that charity funds conservation projects across the universe.
Conservation issues are at the heart of my young adult book Soulsinger, and I'm currently planning another young adult book which again has wildlife conservation at the centre of its plot. Writing about issues I care about gives the books extra depth, and shapes the actions of the characters. A damn good read becomes something more.
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