Thread: The influence of your writing

A lot of things impact our writing, but what might our work impact? If your work gets out into the world, what influence will it have? What could the content do to the reader - for better or worse?

I started considering this when I looked at one of my WIPs in brief. It involves teenagers using guns, and isn't surreptitious about it in any way. It's one of the main aspects of the world - people as young as 14 can own and use a gun. It is science-fiction, set not too far into the future, and the fact that teens have guns is due to outside influence (alien races). But I still worry that that sort of thing isn't really material for a young-ish market.

Does anyone else have similar concerns?

i really doubt the ability of any single book to have the kind of effect you mention. especially nowadays. ninety percent of video games feature guns or other violence, the majority of which are played by young people. has that caused a rise in teenage gun crime? possibly, but its been over the course of nearly thirty years now. and even then i doubt most kids take it that far. and chances are even if your book is a best seller, it will still not rival Call of Duty.

that's not to say books aren't extremely powerful at influencing thought, but seldom in the way intended by the author. if anything, tend to worry far more about my work having little or no impact than about it having too much.

I write fantasy, so I highly doubt that my work will be all that influential in society in general. But I think one of my goals in my writing is to show how things larger than life are attainable, that even our heros and legends were once young and very afraid of the big world they found themselves in.

Influence? Nah. I just hope to entertain folks. That's about it.

Originally Posted by Cadence
A lot of things impact our writing, but what might our work impact? If your work gets out into the world, what influence will it have? What could the content do to the reader - for better or worse?

I started considering this when I looked at one of my WIPs in brief. It involves teenagers using guns, and isn't surreptitious about it in any way. It's one of the main aspects of the world - people as young as 14 can own and use a gun. It is science-fiction, set not too far into the future, and the fact that teens have guns is due to outside influence (alien races). But I still worry that that sort of thing isn't really material for a young-ish market.

Are you for real? If you're worried about a possible negative affect on readers, don't write it. Sheeesh.

Are you for real? If you're worried about a possible negative affect on readers, don't write it. Sheeesh.

My concern is not over absolute effects, but about what I've written and if it needs to change. Looking at the posts above, I feel like I don't need to worry about changing anything.