How Nonfiction Writers Can Use Their Powers for Good

Three things everyone with a platform can do now

What does it mean to be a nonfiction writer in a time of violent social unrest, soaring inequality, and widespread suffering? What can you do to make a difference?

I’m not asking what you can do as an individual: as a member of your community, a citizen, a neighbor, a person of faith, a parent or child, or any of the many roles you fill. That’s up to you.

Specifically, I want to think about what we can do as writers.

The Power of Writing

Writers form connections with other people through words. We share thoughts with readers, connect with other people’s insights, and reinforce our common experience. That’s a superpower.

Nonfiction writers deal with the world in which we live, and that world is flawed in fundamental ways: racism, extremes in inequality, climate crises, and more. Even if your usual topic has little direct connection with the unrest in the world today, you may still have a role to play.