“The art of writing is the art discovering what you believe.” – Gustave Flaubert

This quote was down the hall from my office this morning at the University of Colorado at Denver student writing center.

In so many ways this quote rings true. When I am writing, the conflicts and events that take place absolutely seem to mirror what I think is important. As an anthropologist I have a lot of knowledge on the way in which culture works but I still have my core ideas about the difficulties of the world, which are absolutely reflected in my current novel.

I sat and really thought about this and started reviewing some of my favorite authors (of which there are many more then listed below). This might be a bit presumptuous and I might be completely wrong here. You may feel that these authors say something different, but I am going to try and fish out some of these beliefs.

Steven King: The world is full of monsters but there is a seed of hope and some who will fight back against the monsters. The most important thing is to take a stand (pun intended) against these monsters.

JK Rowling: Friendship, compassion and courage are the things human beings do best and the only way to counter hatred and fear.

Isaac Asimov: Human beings have enormous potential and what is out amongst the stars is often mirrored in ourselves.

Arthur C. Clarke: We are limited only by the ways in which we limit ourselves. There are endless possibilities.

Ursula K Le Guin: Things are not always what they seem and the world is much more diverse and beautiful if we just peer outside of what we think is normal.

If you disagree, if you have a better belief, or if you just want to share your favorite author’s beliefs feel free to tweet me @stiltedcities