Purpose is the engine that drives the boat of revision. If I don't remember to check in with my purpose, I lose my power. My purpose is also my passion.
Today, I am remembering my purpose in writing the novel I've written. Why? Because a good friend of ours died two days ago. Jim Learning was a Labradorian, an activist who twice went to jail fighting for his beliefs. He was a River Keeper, and a Land Protector. He fought the mess that is the Lower Churchill Project - a project that has replaced a beautiful waterfall with a destructive dam, that has leached methyl-mercury into the waterways, and has, in its construction, caused the very fabric of Labrador to be torn. Jim was a gentle, kind warrior. He was one of the wisest people I have met, although he would often be self-deprecating about his intelligence. He was curious about everything, and passionate about the environment of Labrador.
The book I'm writing revolves around the issues that Jim and his partner, Roberta, fought for. I'm going to think of the fighters I knew in Labrador and keep them close while I write. My purpose in writing this book is to show the complexity of issues like these - issues of indigenous rights, the environment and how corporate and government greed works to keep those already vulnerable from gaining autonomy.
Here is a quote by American writer and conservationist, Aldo Leopold, that I think Jim, an avid canoeist, would like...
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing your friend's story; the world was better with him in it. It really shows, too, how important purpose really is. He had purpose, and his story gives you purpose; I like that symmetry. You make a good point about the need for purpose, too. Without it, writing becomes an aimless sort of undertaking, without the focus and, yes, the passion the writer needs.
So sorry for your friend's loss. Keep up the good fight, and writing is a great way to do just that.
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