Craig Colby is one of those guys who I should have met a long time ago, but didn’t.
First, the most obvious connection – I worked with his now-wife on Lakehead University’s student newspaper in the 1980s. He’s from Thunder Bay, though they’ve lived in Toronto for decades. His mother Dorothy Colby was prominent in the writing community here. Craig went on to become a successful producer and launched his own production company, ColbyVision. He also has a podcast with his brother Scott, who I did meet a few years ago.
I know, so far this is more a celebrity bio than an essay about writing. The reason for all the back story before making my point – and I have a point – is that these little synchronicities seem to pop up in my writing life. Or, in this case, unsynchronicities. It amazes me how some paths cross and others don’t. As I mentioned in my last post, I don’t believe in “magic” in a literal sense.
But I do believe that there are a lot of things in the world that look like magic to our human minds. Our brains are trying to make sense of the world 24/7. We are hardwired to see patterns, which is why we see a smiley face on a punch buggy. (Incidentally, it’s called apophenia for general patterns, and paredolia for faces.)
I also believe in the Law of Coincidence. Unlikely things are often more likely than we think, like the fact that if you have 23 people in a room, there is a greater than 50% chance two of them will have the same birthday. In that context, it’s easy to understand how we might think there is something greater at work.
Okay, before I devolve too far into mathematics yet again, let me just say that this particular coincidence gathered some exceptional fruit, and changed my writing forever.
“I Want to Change Your Life…”
The reason I met Craig Colby (finally) is that he had a book launch at Entershine Bookshop here in Thunder Bay. The format was a Q&A session with a local media critic, Michael Sobota, who has become world-famous in Thunder Bay for his interviews and mediated conversations with readings interspersed.
In any case, during the Q&A, Craig said something about his writing approach that almost washed over me, but then snagged my ear like a gold necklace surging back out to sea. He said, “When I write to you, I want to change your life.”
It struck me as odd at first. I felt like if I wanted to change the reader’s life, I would be overstepping. I mean, who the hell would I think I am, trying to change your life? So, I sensibly dismissed it.
But the idea wouldn’t be dismissed.
I then thought, well, why wouldn’t I want to change your life, at least in some little way? The alternative is that I want you to waste your time on some frivolous thing that doesn’t entertain, inform, or engage. Don’t I want to convey to you something that I believe is important on at least one level, and hopefully multiple levels?
If we aren’t trying to change someone’s life through our writing in some small or large way, why should we even bother?
Four Ways to Change Lives through Your Writing
That realization upped the ante for me. To be clear, in my mind this life-changing document you write doesn’t have to be as important as the Magna Carta or People Magazine (though it could be). You give readers a laugh, for example, you’ve moved the needle in their lives towards the better. It’s like Random Acts of Kindness, but for writers.
So, how do you change lives through your writing?
Find Your Why – We’ve talked about finding your why before in the post, What’s Your Story? It’s one of the most basic rules of writing: think about why the thing you’re writing is important – or at least important to you. If it matters to you, find a way to unfold the story so that it matters to your readers, too.
A book (or your writing) is not about something. A book is for someone. – This is from AJ Harper, a ghostwriter and editor, on a promotional website for her book, Write a Must-read. We talked about writing to one person before in the post, How (VAROOM! VAROOM!) Writing to One Person Can (BRUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM…) Help Make Your Writing More Interesting. This takes it a step further, crafting that subject matter to connect, engage, and enrich with that particular reader. “Reader first, last, and always” is another Harper mantra I’ve taken to heart.
Be truthful – In other words, research. Don’t spew factoids that aren’t, in fact, facts. There are some quasi-exceptions – there are many blogs out there designed to be a “follow along with me while I bumble through” type of journey. But even here, it helps to have the answers by the end.
Write Your Authentic Self – Related to knowing what you’re talking about is writing truthfully. The most successful writers are the ones who write authentically about their lives, revealing all on the page. This one’s a toughie for me, for various reasons related to a Victorianesque, stiff-upper-lip, boys-don’t-cry upbringing. But I’m working on it.
I’ve heard many authors talk about how people come up to them to talk about how their writing changed the reader’s life. Sometimes, according to the reader, the writer even saves their life. I don’t think this is a goal to strive for, though. Simply be authentic and truthful, and write to the reader. The rest will take care of itself.
Key Takeaways: You have the power to change lives through your writing, even if it moves the needle just a little bit. It may sound like an arrogant goal, but the alternative is to write time-wasting drivel that nobody cares about. Write to the reader authentically and truthfully in a way that connects, and you’ll find that you’re changing lives, too.
Over to You: How Do You Feel About Changing Lives through Your Writing?
Does it feel icky, like I felt at first? Is it something you’ve been doing all along? Does it not really matter, because you’re not interested in showing other people your work anyway? Let us know in the comments below!
I’ll leave you with an interview with AJ Harper on YouTube about changing lives through learning. Scroll down below to watch.
Until next time, keep writing with wild abandon!
~Graham
PS - did this post change your (writing) life? If so, please share and let’s change other lives, too!
email me if you get lost.