A few years back, I recognized a dissonance between my writing and our society. During the day, I’m a school support worker. I spend a lot of time telling kids to solve their problems with words, and encouraging them to seek peaceful alternatives. But in my writing? Everyone solved their problems with violence.

Violence is a real problem in our society, and that gets reflected in the stories we tell. Very seldom in stories is diplomacy or nonviolence presented as a realistic solution to conflict. It’s all shooting and chasing and punching and explosions.

This is all very exciting, I realize. Yet, to me, the violence in storytelling contributes to violence in the real world. Most of the time, talking solutions are not presented at all. Or if talking is mentioned, it is as an obstacle to characters who want to “take action.” If readers/viewers never see peaceful resolution as a credible approach in stories, they will never imagine it in their own lives.

Realizing this, I made it a challenge to myself. Since about 2018, my stories have included nonviolence as a key component. That’s why in my Minstrels of Skaythe series the title characters will only defend but not attack. It’s why they try to persuade their opponents to change. I don’t shy away from the difficulty of their task. Being peaceful while everyone else is shooting magic bolts and waving swords — it’s pretty scary!

Still, this is the contribution I hope to make. Even as a very obscure author, but I hope to be part of the conversation. I’m trying to show that stories can be exciting and emotionally powerful, while showing a different way.

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