Are you interested in finding a supportive community of writers on Wattpad? The Circle of Jerks is a friendly, welcoming writing group. Are you curious to know more? Maybe you're interested in joining? You will find a comprehensive explanation of wh...
This issue is late by 2 weeks and will only contain a small portion of our normal content. We will get back to more news about our Jerk Members, along with our plan for more inclusive and diverse content in Issue # 7.
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**** New Feature! This month we're featuring the book One Foot In & One Foot Out by melanatedmelon (Check out the link in the inline comment) ***
This newsletter is late for a variety of reasons, whether it be personal, societal, or historical. Cause let us be honest. A lot of the world is struggling, each and every one of us is struggling in some way. And it has taken a while to understand how to address it.
We could have just continued on as normal and pretended that these things haven't affected us, or maybe wanted to stick to the same narrative on the excuse of wanting to give our readers and group members a part 'apart' from all these things. Cause that's what writers are supposed to do, right? Provide themselves and their readers an escape from the shittyness of the real world?
Partially. But no. As writers, we have a responsibility to address the issues of the world around us and try to enable our readers to come to terms with the uncomfortable truths of our society. We don't have to preach, we don't have to be activists in our whimsy. But at the same time, we can address a variety of issues through how we formulate our writing.
Did you know that reading teaches people empathy? It allows the reader to see things from someone else's point of view and imagine the world in their shoes. Readers live, learn and love through the lens of the characters you craft for them. Which means that the make up, lessons and cast of your writing can help change a person's view of the world.
Did you know that minorities are often under and mis represented in literature? Under-represented in that they aren't given the consideration or character chances that they should be because authors generally write what they are comfortable with and through their own lens. Misrepresented because out of well-intended ignorance, some authors make minorities shallow, token side characters. ( The article that we intended for this month, will also address this next issue at times, but keep it in mind.)
Did you know that the version of history and the narrative of your world is given to you in the lens of your own experience and through a carefully crafted world view that seeks to justify the righteousness of how your society works? If you're on the winning, dominant, side that concept works in your favour. You see that things are ok and that everyone is happy and that the world is a just, fair, place. But if someone is in the minority, what they are told is the truth and what they live on a day to day basis are often two very different things. Our minds have evolved to seek out consonances between what we believe and how we act /see our world. It is often painful to change these things, but it is necessary to challenge your 'comfort' in order to make meaningful and lasting changes for everyone.
