We have all heard the advice to "write what you know," and there are a plethora of books out there, both traditionally and self-published, that have a subtle or not-so-subtle focus on feminism, racism, socioeconomic status, politics, and who-knows-what else. My guess is that those themes are a reflection of the writers' belief systems.
But I could be wrong.
In fact, if those writers are like me, I probably am wrong. Because in my novel The Talented, the bureaucracy present is very corrupt (which, yes, that would be a reflection of my views for the most part), but my "solution" to this seems to be military law. Or at least a monarch with enough power to reign in the various commissions controlling everything.
And in real life, I'm not a fan of military law or a country with one political leader having all of the authority. I like the idea of checks and balances in my government. But that part of my beliefs isn't reflected in my writing.
I also seem a little bit warlike in my writing, because anyone in my book who expresses pacifist tendencies is seen as weak and foolish.
So either I am not only pro-military but also think that martial law is awesome and everyone should be aggressive, or my writing does not reflect my views. At least not accurately.
Which leads me back to my original question--Does your writing reflect your views? And a follow up question--Should it?
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