We live in a country of extraordinary privilege, yet many author spaces have shifted from storytelling and craft toward constant commentary, personal ideology, and self-centered performance. Recent news cycles make this even more visible, with reactions often feeling performative rather than thoughtful. I am not here to list world news or pass judgment on true hardship, but to highlight how excessive focus on ideology and reaction can distract from the work itself.
This reflection comes from a desire to protect storytelling and craft, not to dismiss compassion or silence disagreement.
When the Author Becomes the Center
Too often, authors place themselves at the center of every conversation. Their outrage, emotional state, or interpretation of events overtakes discussion of writing, publishing, or craft. Characters flatten. Stories stall. Readers are no longer invited into the narrative. They are asked to witness the author. Storytelling is not self narration.
Many authors expressing despair or outrage are still creating, publishing, eating, drinking, and sleeping comfortably. Recognizing that reality is not dismissive. It is perspective. When authors cast themselves as embattled figures where no real danger exists, it creates a posture of heroism rooted in ego rather than sacrifice.
Social Media and Performative Behavior
I see it constantly on Facebook, Reddit, and other platforms. Authors post ideological commentary and personal grievances, often treating the platform like a stage. They constantly highlight their opinions rather than their craft, and some even resort to bullying to dominate discussions or dismiss differing perspectives.
These behaviors are more about being seen than creating meaningful work. Social media can connect and inspire, but it cannot replace the discipline and focus required for storytelling.
Narcissism and Self-Absorption
Some authors function like walking encyclopedias of themselves. They know a little about everything and feel compelled to share it constantly, often acting like actors at the Golden Globes, overprivileged, distant from reality, and playing pretend rather than crafting stories.
Even in professional settings, I have encountered individuals so consumed with their presence that collaboration becomes impossible. They deflect, control the conversation, and make the interaction all about themselves. Storytelling requires humility, not omniscience. Readers respond to curiosity and insight, not performance.
Moral Compass Over Emotion
Enduring authors like Tolkien and C.S. Lewis demonstrate moral clarity alongside creative brilliance. Their work resonates because it is guided by principles, not raw emotion. By contrast, many contemporary authors allow outrage, despair, or ideology to drive their narratives and public personas. Without a moral compass, storytelling loses grounding.
As a Catholic author, I aim to carry faith and values into my work, seeking to inspire and uplift readers without reacting to every ideological trend. That is my responsibility as a storyteller.
Craft Requires Distance
Good storytelling demands space. Writers must step back, process experience, and transform it into narrative. Constant reaction and performative posting short-circuit this process. Instead of stories, we get statements. Instead of characters, proxies. Instead of insight, messaging.
Storytelling Over Ideology
Stories explore values, questions, and the human condition. They do not need ideology injected into every conversation. When ideology leads, story follows reluctantly. Readers come to books to experience something human, not to be managed emotionally or instructed politically.
Trust the reader. Trust the work. Step out of the spotlight.
If stories are not grounded in something beyond reaction and self-expression, what gives them lasting meaning?
Let the Story Speak
The most enduring books do not shout or posture. They do not require the author to stand beside them explaining their virtue. They resonate.
In a world overflowing with noise, choosing story over self and craft over ideology is not just good writing. It is responsibility. It is faith. It is hope.
Thoughtful disagreement is welcome; the conversation itself matters when it is rooted in respect for story.
