Writing for hope

This morning a young girl died close to our home. I wish this was the opening sentence of a contrived novel and not real life. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

A twelve-year old girl was murdered. We didn’t know her or her family, but that doesn’t lessen the horror. It makes me ill to think about it. My heart bleeds for the mother who searched for her child. That terror she went through when her daughter was lost. I can’t even fathom the agony which she is going through now. 

Life truly can be hellish at times. Doubtless there are more eloquent ways of saying this. However, sometimes the plain and simple ones do a better job. 

For some reason it reminded me of when I was younger. I have always known that I wanted to write. During that time I knew kids who joined gangs. I even saw some of the aftermath of their "initiations". There were people who went through drug rehab at 14, were abused, suicidal and many other awful things. 

I didn't always know what to say in the moment. There were other kids who I didn't know well enough to reach out to them when I overheard what they were going through. That's when I knew what I why I wanted to write. I wanted to write books to inspire and uplift people. It felt like a way I could reach out to other people in pain 

That doesn’t mean that I think one story of mine could ward off an atrocity. I’m not naive. There are many poisonous things in our world. Things that people can choose to indulge as their mind is twisted. 

I write stories about young men and women who overcoming demons and monsters. The empowering message might seem like spitting into a fire to put it out. In a way it is, but that doesn’t mean that I will stop. Whether they are spoken or written, there is power in words. 

Evil and demons will persist. I will continue to do my best to comfort those in need and to help keep my on family safe. It is a small thing. That's true, but it's mine. This is a small thing I can do.

~Deborah Moore

Deborah Moore is a recurring columnist for an Independent magazine where she shares parenting advice and interviews successful women in the fields of science, math, technology and fantasy