By: Grayson Magill

As the world welcomes November’s cold breezes and crunchy leaves, many writers welcome this month as an opportunity to get their creative juices flowing. November is home to many national holidays, such as American Indian Heritage Month, Sweet Potato Awareness Month, Fun With Fondue Month and National Novel Writing Month. Of all of those holidays, novel writing may not seem as important or exciting to most; but what if you weren’t most? We as journalists and writers can use our voices in many different ways, one as sharing our stories through novels. Why is this important, however? When the world is presented with different perspectives and stories, it can inspire others to become more aware of social issues and more empathetic toward those whose experiences are different than theirs. Not to mention, it can be used as a huge motivational boost to get those pencils writing and computers typing.

To dive into more depth about how novels impact the world, we have to start by learning about the author. Next time you read a poem, short story, novel or any form of literature, take the time to do quick research about the author before you start to read. This can be brief or more in-depth research, but regardless this aids the reader in feeling more empathetic and understanding towards the author’s story. When having a background of the person behind the work of literature, it can aid in analyzing the deeper meaning of the text. This way the author’s message can get through more clearly in ways deeper than just surface-level storytelling. Let’s take a look at “I, Too” written by Langston Hughes in 1926. On the surface, it is pretty straightforward: Hughes announces that he, a colored man, will be seated at the table and treated with respect. When delving more into who Hughes is, we learn he was a poet in a time of extreme racism and segregation, using his voice to share his experiences with the world. However, if you want to analyze this even deeper, it is practically a response to “I Hear America Singing”, written by poet Walt Whitman, a white man of privilege from an earlier time. The poem itself is about how melodious and content America is, but from a white man’s perspective. This further emphasizes how crucial Hughes’s poem is, as it is not only him announcing his feelings, but an incredible and eye-opening response to Whitman’s one-sided poem. These two poems have now been taught in classrooms to teach the growing generations about why voices are so important. This is a reminder– a reminder that writing does have an impact on people. Your writing tells a story; your writing shares perspective; your writing is important. This November should be a reminder for you to at least sit down for a little bit and write your story and maybe, just maybe, it will turn into something incredibly impactful for the world to read.

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