Narrative Initiative kicked off the fourth iteration of the Changemaker Authors Cohort, with a twist. We know books have tremendous narrative impact but they often have a long runway with years of writing and editing before they get into the right hands. By focusing on short to medium length essays that can help organizers who love to write fastrack their ideas out in the world. We’ve wrapped the cohort and learned a lot together, but one thing that has resonated with folks is the practice and strategy of solutions-forward writing and content.
Why Solutions Matter
When we are advising our partners on what kind of content to produce, we have a set list of questions we always ask that helps us steer folks in the direction toward the right content for the right audiences that are going to get your ideas in front of the eyes who can move the needle on the long term changes you’re looking to make. Among those questions is what are the solution(s) you’re proposing? People are very adept at identifying and laying out problems, and that is critical, because why do you need a solution if there isn’t a problem? But sometimes we forget that the inverse is true. Centering solutions is critical when you name a problem to overcome things like apathy or overwhelm.
For over a decade, Solutions Journalism Network has been training and building a network of storytellers who are equipped to drive people toward action: they call it “hope with teeth.” These kinds of stories can help people with what Liberation Ventures calls the “hope gap” and the “mobilization gap.” At various stages along a narrative belief arc, there are obstacles that prevent people from progressing to the next stage. The “hope gap” exists when folks know and understand the problem but how to solve it is foggy. The “mobilization gap” happens when someone knows the problem and the solution but isn’t sure how they can make a difference. Knowing where your reader’s beliefs lie and where you want to get them to shapes the tone, content and delivery of your narrative.
Earned media, op-eds, a robust social media strategy and rigorous ground game helped our partners at Missouri Workers Center helped them win paid sick leave for all Missourans. They won because they never let a conversation about the legislation happen without the solution being front and center.
Centering Solutions
In preparing for a recent craft session, we searched for essays and op-eds that could serve as examples of what to do, and not to do. We came across an op-ed about eugenics in U.S. health policy that had a promising title. And as we read, we kept waiting for a solution. Instead, each paragraph outlined another way our federal government continues to fail at protecting the health and well-being of everyone in this country. Every single person in our cohort was aligned with the overall premise of the op-ed: that eugenics is the driving force of public health policy in the U.S. But no one could identify even a single solution.
Everything we do, whether it’s writing an essay or planning a campaign, should stoke imagination and paint the picture and the path to the future we all deserve. The numbers tell us that no solutions or action lead to apathy, so why do we keep repeating the same formula without success? Screaming into the void might be cathartic for the writer, but as a reader, it falls short if your goal is to inspire any action. Even when educational, folks still need to know what to do with the newfound information.
On the flip side, when you lead with community and solutions, you have a winning combination that is more likely to draw your reader in. This 2022 New Yorker essay by Emma Green did just that. While not an opinion piece, it tells the story of the people working hard to help folks remember that masking is an act of love and care for your friends, family, neighbors and fellow humans, not just a way to protect yourself. Green highlighted stories from people behind the People’s CDC that humanized solution they proposed: keep masks in public spaces so that they continue to be accessible for all.
Several of our partners have shared how this solutions-forward narrative strategy is making them rethink how they work within their organizations. One changemaker who works at an organization fighting for the agency of disabled people and their families to shape health policy in California plans to revamp their entire narrative strategy and curriculum for training families to tell their stories after the cohort. Another is reimagining their strategy for their upcoming disability justice campaign.
We have resources to help you get started including our op-ed and social templates as well as our Narrative Style Guide template and blogs on how, why and when to use it. The more we adopt a solutions-forward narrative strategy, the faster we’ll organize folks to fight by our side for that just and sustainable future we all deserve.
Is Your Writing Focused on Solutions?
Narrative Initiative kicked off the fourth iteration of the Changemaker Authors Cohort, with a twist. We know books have tremendous narrative impact but they often have a long runway with years of writing and editing before they get into the right hands. By focusing on short to medium length essays that can help organizers who love to write fastrack their ideas out in the world. We’ve wrapped the cohort and learned a lot together, but one thing that has resonated with folks is the practice and strategy of solutions-forward writing and content.
Why Solutions Matter
When we are advising our partners on what kind of content to produce, we have a set list of questions we always ask that helps us steer folks in the direction toward the right content for the right audiences that are going to get your ideas in front of the eyes who can move the needle on the long term changes you’re looking to make. Among those questions is what are the solution(s) you’re proposing? People are very adept at identifying and laying out problems, and that is critical, because why do you need a solution if there isn’t a problem? But sometimes we forget that the inverse is true. Centering solutions is critical when you name a problem to overcome things like apathy or overwhelm.
For over a decade, Solutions Journalism Network has been training and building a network of storytellers who are equipped to drive people toward action: they call it “hope with teeth.” These kinds of stories can help people with what Liberation Ventures calls the “hope gap” and the “mobilization gap.” At various stages along a narrative belief arc, there are obstacles that prevent people from progressing to the next stage. The “hope gap” exists when folks know and understand the problem but how to solve it is foggy. The “mobilization gap” happens when someone knows the problem and the solution but isn’t sure how they can make a difference. Knowing where your reader’s beliefs lie and where you want to get them to shapes the tone, content and delivery of your narrative.
Earned media, op-eds, a robust social media strategy and rigorous ground game helped our partners at Missouri Workers Center helped them win paid sick leave for all Missourans. They won because they never let a conversation about the legislation happen without the solution being front and center.
Centering Solutions
In preparing for a recent craft session, we searched for essays and op-eds that could serve as examples of what to do, and not to do. We came across an op-ed about eugenics in U.S. health policy that had a promising title. And as we read, we kept waiting for a solution. Instead, each paragraph outlined another way our federal government continues to fail at protecting the health and well-being of everyone in this country. Every single person in our cohort was aligned with the overall premise of the op-ed: that eugenics is the driving force of public health policy in the U.S. But no one could identify even a single solution.
Everything we do, whether it’s writing an essay or planning a campaign, should stoke imagination and paint the picture and the path to the future we all deserve. The numbers tell us that no solutions or action lead to apathy, so why do we keep repeating the same formula without success? Screaming into the void might be cathartic for the writer, but as a reader, it falls short if your goal is to inspire any action. Even when educational, folks still need to know what to do with the newfound information.
On the flip side, when you lead with community and solutions, you have a winning combination that is more likely to draw your reader in. This 2022 New Yorker essay by Emma Green did just that. While not an opinion piece, it tells the story of the people working hard to help folks remember that masking is an act of love and care for your friends, family, neighbors and fellow humans, not just a way to protect yourself. Green highlighted stories from people behind the People’s CDC that humanized solution they proposed: keep masks in public spaces so that they continue to be accessible for all.
Several of our partners have shared how this solutions-forward narrative strategy is making them rethink how they work within their organizations. One changemaker who works at an organization fighting for the agency of disabled people and their families to shape health policy in California plans to revamp their entire narrative strategy and curriculum for training families to tell their stories after the cohort. Another is reimagining their strategy for their upcoming disability justice campaign.
We have resources to help you get started including our op-ed and social templates as well as our Narrative Style Guide template and blogs on how, why and when to use it. The more we adopt a solutions-forward narrative strategy, the faster we’ll organize folks to fight by our side for that just and sustainable future we all deserve.
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