Labels define us, or at least this is how we’ve learned to see ourselves; in terms of capabilities, abilities, skills, talents, productivity, social background, beliefs, and general ‘usefulness’ to the rest of the human race, and so on. But why are all these labels important? And can we ever learn to see ourselves in any other way? Is there any other way we can see ourselves? What would that be?

As a writer, I was influenced by Lajos Egri (among others – see Resources & Inspirations page for full reference) and his ‘Bone Structure’ of characters. Egri argues that to know a character, we, writers, need to fully know and understand the three elements that make up a human being: physiology, sociology, and psychology. This is all good and well for creating believable characters and compelling stories. However, while I agree with and understand Egri’s argument, I can’t help but ask: Doesn’t this approach contribute to the reproduction of divisive labels (say, of physical abilities, or social class, for example)? Doesn’t it reinforce the fact that those labels define us and divide us? Doesn’t it favour surface differences over shared essence? And, by using such labels, are we not discouraging an alternative, more inclusive, way of seeing and defining ourselves?

Regardless of the debates on either/all sides of the above arguments, as a creator of worlds and their inhabitants, doesn’t the writer in me have a responsibility to anchor my characters in the deepest depths of their personality (which is admittedly likely to be shaped by Egri’s three elements!)? Shouldn’t the writer in me come face to face with labels I have accepted for myself, unpack them, and consider an alternative view? Shouldn’t I challenge those labels?

The questions above might seem to suggest a mammoth task of re-designing human nature. But the answers are clear to me. I believe that writing is the most powerful means for influencing the future of humanity. So, the main question to ask would be: what kind of future do we seek to create? One where humans continue to be ranked, labelled, boxed, and numbered? Or one where humans connect and mix in a web of undifferentiated consciousness? Let’s take this into our writing and see what happens. Isn’t writing the exploration of imagination and the power of words, after all?

Have you unpacked the labels in your writing yet?