Are writers just like superheroes?

Over this several carefully paragraphed blog post, I’m going to talk about people like us – superheroes.

Up into the late ours of the night, looking for ‘something’

Anonymous (or ‘masked’, at the very least)

Experts

Outsiders (in the best sense of the word)

Misunderstood

Full of secret weapons

Highly trained

Kick-ass

I mean, this pretty much sums up what a superhero is. And I bet if you’re a writer, there’s a small part of you thinking ‘hey, thats me!’

While our words may not stop crime, words can save lives. Kind words, smart words, insightful words, big words, small words. We’re working to help people, and sometimes, not always, but sometimes, change the world. Our efforts as masked vigilantes, acting alone or in a group, can help people get by that extra day.

Superhero movies always stress an aspect of ‘anyone can be a hero’. I think in the writing world that goes without saying. Any writer can produce something that someone else loves, and sometimes, this turns the writer into a figurehead, or a metaphor, for anyone young or old. Not only someone to look up to, but someone who is pioneering, fighting for a particular ideal. We could talk a lot about what’s more important: a superhero’s actual contributions (eg fighting crime, locking lots of baddies up) or their position as a beacon of hope, that metaphor for something. And while the market for posters in K-Mart with depictions of Chekhov and Vonnegut haven’t quite picked up yet, the names on a bookshelf remain as these go to places for inspiration in a time of desperation.

So how does a writer go from hero, which is a given, to a ‘superhero’?

The words written on a page, or on a screen, have a strange tendency to fight the fears and reservations in our hearts and minds. Whether it’s the fear of an impending assignment, a hard day at work, a relationship, or just a general off feeling, there’s a way that words can fight back for us. Writers create these things, they work hard, tirelessly, and with a vision, so we can pick them up and enjoy them. And that’s the fighting. It’s not vigilantism, it’s not illegal (although it can be), and it’s not a legal grey area – it’s hard work, it’s adored, and it’s effective.

Sure, it’s not fighting crime, but it’s fighting something.