Abigail Welborn
Menu
  • Home
  • Posts
Menu

What the world needs now

Posted on November 4, 2023November 23, 2023 by Abigail Welborn

Books are either windows or mirrors.

Characters in a book either reflect a reader’s life and personality, or they offer a window into a different mindset and experience. In fact, I would argue that all books are both, because no book is populated entirely by identical characters. Characters represent the reader to a certain extent and help the reader explore what isn’t the same.

Because readers literally share in the feelings of the point of view character, books are powerful tools for developing empathy in readers—a quality we desperately need more of in the world. However, two things need to happen for books to change the world.

First, books have to represent many different viewpoints. The best representation comes from authors who are writing about their own experiences—whether literally, in contemporary stories, or through the metaphor of speculative fiction. Obviously, since we don’t want books with entirely identical characters, every author also writes about people who differ from themselves in some way, but there’s no replacement for the authenticity of personal experience. All readers deserve to find books that reflect their lives.

Second, readers need access to those books after they get published. They need to be on shelves in stores, libraries, classrooms, book fairs. As an author who writes for teens, I care especially about books for kids. Books have to be easy for the kids who need mirrors to find them, and for kids to stumble upon them as windows. Of course not every book is for every reader—the point is to have them available.

In other words…

We Need Diverse Books is a charity that focuses on both those important steps. It supports authors from historically marginalized groups with grants, training, mentorships, and more. These authors face challenges getting traditionally published—that is, by the publishers that have the biggest presence in schools, libraries, and bookstores—or marketing their books from small, niche, or independent presses. WNDB also provides resources for authors and the public to combat book bans.

Donate Here!

For the last few years, I’ve been taking part in The Mighty Pens, a fundraiser that coincides with Nanowrimo. This year, we’re raising money for WNDB. If you donate through my page, you can help me win some cool author-related prizes, but more importantly, you’re helping to fill the world with stories of all kinds, for all people. And that’s love.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Category: Personal

CommentsCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Bluesky
  • Instagram

Latest Thoughts

  • Why We Need WNDB
  • What the world needs now
  • Are you ready to be a mentee?
  • Why Maternal Health Matters to Me (#2)
  • Why Scrivener is great for Nanowrimo

Categories

Word Association

AMM author life bio birth story business of writing caffeinateme career controversies copyedit me craft creative process deadline editing excel formatting freedom goals grammar inspiration LOTR market Mary Pearson meta Microsoft Word Mighty Pens NaNoWriMo never give up panic pitching PitchWars pnwa60 productivity querying retreat retrospective; RevPit Scrivener setting star wars story structure technology the ONE thing treaddesk WNDB word count

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
© 2025 Abigail Welborn | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme
%d