Changing the world one word at a time

This week I've been re-reading some old personal development books based around life coaching.  Two I bought over a decade ago, when I was still in full-time work, and it's interesting to reflect on how things have changed since then.  And they've changed a lot in that time.  Both my parents have died, and I've given up the 'day job' and become a full time writer.

I've been trying to define my brand as a writer, and some of the questions I came across in these books helped me to see the issue from a new angle.  Both books urged finding your passions, and marrying those with your talents. And both authors made the point that, to do our best work, we must be working on something that is part of our life purpose.

So how do my stories show my passion?  I have a passion for big cats and the wild world, and find myself stroking every dog I pass in the street.  That's my wildlife passion coming out.  But I also have several stories about sentient AIs.  How do they fit in?  I've realised that each AI has a full personality, and is able to form close relationships with humans.  They show the richness of relationships without the ugliness of sex.  And that's my second strand.  My AIs are challenging the herd ideas of 'sexiness'. 

How do the two strands fit together?  Ecology, is how.  My stories provide mental nudges to readers.  I'm challenging them to reconsider how they live their lives.  To think about how overbreeding is ruining the Earth.  My AI stories challenge the idea of meaningful relationships being sexual.  Here are alternative forms of relating that don't rely on humans making themselves 'attractive' for a partner. So we don't need acres of 'stuff', damaging the environment in its manufacture and use,   We don't need flashy sports cars, or private jets.  We don't need to compromise our dreams or be controlled by someone else, or create a false appearance.

That seems like a good life purpose to me.  And in the midst of telling a good story, I might just be doing a little something to save the world.  One word at a time.

Wendy Metcalfe is the author of The Eco-SF novels Panthera : Death Spiral and Panthera : Death Song, and the short story collection Otherlives, exploring other forms of sentience.