The piano is such a beautiful instrument. It’s not entirely metaphorical to say that when the hammer strikes the chords, it strikes the heart strings as much as the metal wires within the box.

I’ve had an itch lately as I’ve read guides on publishing, advice on story telling, and how-tos on writing effectively, and so on… there’s something missing from the stock of advice available to authors these days, and it took me a long time to name it.

See, the great authors of history certainly wrote with clear and original voice, snapped with witty discourse, used active verbs, plot, and character development. Yes yes, these are critical things. But the message delivered by all these experts is clear: write to entertain.

The greats did something more than that. Every story I’ve loved, every great masterpiece of history that stands the test of time, moved me spiritually and mentally. They challenged my beliefs, ran rampant through my ideas, and made me want to go do something, build something, or become someone.

Consider some of these famous lines:

All men die; not all men really live –Randall Wallace, Braveheart

So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide…All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us –Tolkien, LOTR

Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once. –Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Take thy beak from out my heart and take thy form from off my door! –Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven

Did these authors write to entertain? Would these stories have captured the spirit without the powerful movements behind the text? Without ideology and depth? If everyone in the story was nothing more than a base and selfish turd seeking to get something?

Which brings me to the point: If you’re writing just to shock or entertain, what the hell are you doing?

You have in your hands a weapon, an ancient artifact of magnificent power, which can be used for great good, and great evil.

Don’t just tell stories, transform people. Don’t just aspire, inspire. Use the pen in your hand to change the world. The world is full of filth and normalcy and stories that sell shockingly droll and apathetic anti-heroes.

That’s not to say that they don’t have a place in your stories. But don’t write for the sake of those things. Use them to build something wonderful.

Move. Your. World.

Brillica actually produced some interesting meta themes when I wordled the whole book. It’s still a bit heavy on names, but the themes do show through.

I was browsing Alex Satin’s blog and ran across this interesting post on word themes. I found Wordle instantly addictive and started posting up bits of my stories, like this one, to see what sort of meta-themes pop out.

Wow did that turn out to be an insightful look into the content of my stories. I hope you find it as useful for your writing! Go try out a couple paragraphs now!

This chapter in Nightshroud turned out to be entirely about names, which gives me some thoughts for my first set of revisions : (