We writers of creative nonfiction, we tellers of stories, we shamans of our clans to be heard and read must, as Lee Gutkind says, "deliver a message." As I point out in We, The Shamans, "Compelling, page-turning, hard-to-put-down books contain elements of adversity, conflict, frustration, love, and hate."
"But," you say, "that is easy to do when writing fiction. My families stories are different."
Different? I doubt it. We don't live in a perfect world. Those very elements are present to some degree in all of our lives. We Shamans must be careful not to overlook the very human weaknesses that afflict us all. In doing so the stories we tell will be much more compelling and yes, they will also deliver very real examples of how we should, or should not, live out lives. Depending on the story and how well written, who knows, you might even win recognition for your efforts.
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