: Re: What do you do when your message could be dangerous? I've long believed that for a novel (or any kind of fiction) to have a certain weight or power behind it, there must be a message. I've

@Ann1701686

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If you don't want people rioting in the streets you should show how people are rioting in the streets in your novel - and how that way utterly fails to achieve what the people wanted to achieve.

Discourage the obvious, easy ways that you already see, the horrible and dangerous paths that people may think they should walk on when reading your novel. They need to realize that you believe it will end very, very badly for them if they follow that path. They need to see with their own eyes what horrors await those that follow the wrong path.

But the path that for example your protagonist takes: that way actually works! Show your readers that they can achieve their goal in a peaceful way or whatever way you choose to show. Don't view your message merely as "The government is evil!" - start viewing your message as "The government is evil and I will show the population how they can make it better!"

In the end your readers some readers will misinterpret your text. And they will find new ways to interpret your work that you can't foresee. Your goal should be to get the message across to the majority by making it obvious how the dangerous ways that you already see are doomed to fail and how the peaceful way will help achieve the ultimate goal of making life better for everyone. Or whatever way you choose and whatever goal you have in mind.

Your message consists not only of a statement about your current day society - it consists of a statement about the current state, a way to go forward from here and a statement about how the world could be if everyone follows that way. Every other way will fail.

The world is not black and white and so is your fictional world. Show a different side of the whole struggle and a different approach that you believe people could reasonably come up with while reading your work and demonstrate the consequences of walking that path.

You want the government to take action? Show the government person taking action and succeeding while the riot on the outside only meant emergency law.

You want the people to have more humane animal farming? Show how much money can be made with humane animal farming while the old-school competitors are left in the dirt.

You want people to value their privacy again? Show how much better your protagonist felt when they were off-grid while other people are losing their identity.

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