A Writer’s Reality Check That Readers Should Note

I wrote Monday’s blogpost in the heat of the hour after finishing up that fateful Agents of Shield episode where Hydra is unmasked and true colors show through.

It was also about 2:00 in the morning, which rarely lends well to cool heads and calm emotions. So here I am at 11:13 the next morning, a much more rational human being.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still annoyed with the writers. And I still think they chortled some while they plotted the storyline out, knowing full well what emotions they’d be foisting on their audience. But I can analyze that now instead of creating my own plots of shoving stuff down their throats.

Writers are powerful people. Not in the change-the-world kind of way. Despite what most braggadocios creative types want to claim, art rarely has a societal impact like that. Most of it is more reactionary than revolutionary, and even the pieces that are original and avant-garde don’t often change anyone’s opinions or spur any great evolutionary steps.

I’m not saying it can’t happen. I’m just saying it’s not the norm.

Yet that doesn’t diminish writer’s power per se. While we’re not likely to reshape society, we have so much control over people’s emotions. It’s their choice to pick up one of our books or turn on our shows, but we own them after they’re hooked. And once we own them, we can treat them however nicely or badly we want to.

That kind of power can be fun. Even thrilling, as I’ve admitted before…

Until we’re on the other side of it.

So writers, keep that in mind next time you want to do something rotten.

As for readers? Be careful what you invest in. And never trust a writer.