Being Relatable

 Hello Everyone, I hope all is well with you and things are going as well as possible. I appreciate I haven't been here recently but what with a family birthday, a book launch and all manner of other issues, time has not been on my side. But obviously, amid all the chaos (some good, some bad) I have been very aware that I needed to write a new post and thankfully, the time has been found!

As the title suggests, I've been thinking a great deal about relatability, both as far as writing is concerned but also in the wider world. Very often, if you're lucky, readers will say they found either the story and/or the characters resonated with them. This is what all writers want to hear, as even those who specialise in the fantasy genres -dragons, mystical creatures and places etc.- want people to feel as if what they're reading could actually happen. I believe readers are very wise and can spot fakery from a mile away! Yes, they want to be introduced to a fantastical world, but it has to be one that makes sense on an emotional level. For those, like me, who write about real life situations, the words we put into people's mouths, the decisions we have them making, have to be relatable. The hope is someone will sit back and say, "I would have done exactly the same," or "I would never have done such a thing"- but hopefully never groan and say, "nobody would do/say/think like that, this book is rubbish!"

But the importance of relatability is infinitely more important when it comes to making decisions that affect thousands, if not millions, of people. Now, as regular readers know, I very rarely stray into the world of politics, but I hope you will forgive if I slightly break that rule today. At the moment, like most of the world, the UK is facing a very turbulent time, aside from the desperation caused by the cost-of-living crisis, we are now in the grip of numerous strikes by a variety of organisations. Now, the validity of their grievances is not for me to judge, but the effects of their actions are hurting the vast majority of the population, who have little or no influence to change anything as only a handful of senior politicians have the power to sit down and discuss pay increases, work conditions etc. But while they procrastinate about whether to negotiate or not, it is the ordinary people who are suffering. As an example, the unions that control the railway services have been striking on and off for some months now, leaving it almost impossible for many people- who have absolutely no power- to get to work or school, attend appointments or help with family emergencies. While they are struggling, I think it's fair to say, those senior politicians don't travel by train at all! They aren't personally affected and so no wonder, they seem to be making little or no effort to find a solution. The same could be said for the medical professionals who are also striking, while those who are waiting for operations, treatments etc. are left, often in pain with infinite worries, those government officials can simply pay for private healthcare which will delivered within an hour.

Yet it is these same politicians, who spend time on television, reassuring us all that 'we are all in this together' which clearly, we are not. They throw around phrases like 'I can relate to the problems of the population', before heading back to their mansion in the country or a chic London townhouse in the most affluent area of the city. Now, I'm not saying that they are all the same, in fact, there is ample evidence to suggest, many came from relatively humble backgrounds, which, to my mind, makes their behaviour even worse! Obviously, everyone has the right to work hard and reap the benefits of their efforts, but how does it become so easy to forget where you started? If there was a time in your life when you watched your parents struggle to make ends meet, how is it so difficult to imagine what that's like for so many citizens now? You would hope it would spur someone on to change things, to try and find ways that make lives easier, but no, instead their time is spent learning how to mouth platitudes before claiming several thousand in expenses.

Sadly, the UK is not alone, across the world, there are the wealthy few who have little or no interest in anyone, until they have something to sell. Suddenly, they are queuing up to have a photoshoot at a McDonalds or are 'spotted' in the crowd at sport's event- all in some vain effort to appear they are just like those who buy their products.

Relatability is big business, be it in politics or in the world of retail- but, I believe, it should also be a part of everyday life too. So, when we read a news story, we need to take a moment, and allow ourselves to feel some empathy, maybe even reach out and offer support. Most of the time, we can't do anything practical to solve the situation, but we can try and understand by imagining what it must be like. If those politicians could spend a few minutes thinking about the stress when an operation cancelled for the third or fourth time, or to know a family member needs desperate help but the trains aren't running so they can't do anything- who knows, maybe then they could start to really understand the word 'relatability'?

Finally, I would like to end on a positive note, away from the strike action and lacklustre government, when life is so hard for so many, there are those who step up and offer support. Communities who have little individually yet will readily come together when there's a crisis and do anything they can to help. Much as it's awful that there is no little official support, just knowing they can genuinely relate to hardship, that they really understand- it's those people who inspire us all.

Until the next time, as always...

Take very good care xx