{"id":6263,"date":"2025-11-11T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/11\/write-of-passage-do-the-math\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T14:10:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:10:00","slug":"write-of-passage-do-the-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/11\/write-of-passage-do-the-math\/","title":{"rendered":"Write of Passage: Do the Math"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6263-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/178567947\/aed226a5e9d855c437bcf0c8d86f2bbf.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/178567947\/aed226a5e9d855c437bcf0c8d86f2bbf.mp3\">https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/178567947\/aed226a5e9d855c437bcf0c8d86f2bbf.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>When I started researching pirates, everyone\u2014and I mean <em>everyone<\/em>\u2014immediately brought up <em>Pirates of the Caribbean.<\/em><\/p><div id=\"vanes-154832608\" class=\"vanes-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 2px;margin-right: 2px;margin-bottom: 2px;margin-left: 2px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\" aria-label=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?fit=1706%2C2560&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1706&ssl=1 1706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"569\" height=\"853\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>And why not? It\u2019s cinematic, dashing, and full of swashbuckling flair. We love that world of yo-ho-ho and pirate speak. But when I dug deeper into the research, I found that most of what we imagine about pirates is more Hollywood fantasy than historical fact.<\/p>\n<p>First all that lovely \u201cpirate talk\u201d we hear on screen? It never really existed. The real pirates of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries spoke with layers of accents and nuances\u2014French, Portuguese, English, and dozens of African and Caribbean creoles mixed in the salty air. Pirates were polyglot survivors of empire, not parrots reciting \u201cArrr!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And that infamous \u201cwalking the plank\u201d? Another myth. No one was forced to tiptoe off a wooden board jutting out to the sea. Ships didn\u2019t have planks sticking out like that for the purpose of punishment. If a captain wanted to get rid of you, he\u2019d stab you on deck\u2014or maroon you on a sandbar with nothing but a knife within reach. Death by tide, starvation, or suicide is far less cinematic than the plank scene, but it\u2019s closer to the truth.<\/p>\n<p>This gap between history and fantasy fascinates me. But it\u2019s also dangerous. We live in a world where fact and fiction often blur\u2014not just about pirates, but about our past, our identity, even our worth. People resist truth when it threatens nostalgia. And when it disturbs the myths that says <em>your ancestors are heroes and mine are villains\u2026<\/em>well that\u2019s heresy<em>.<\/em> Truth matters. I want truth. I seek the truth, the whole truth\u2014the good, the bad, and the ugly\u2014It grounds us. It teaches us both how to persevere and how to survive.<\/p>\n<p>My hunt for truth has shaped my writing journey, too. I will go to the ends of the earth, translate, cross reference, consult with experts\u2014everything to bring you the most authentic story.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s also my Achilles\u2019s heel. I\u2019m a math nerd at heart. I love formulas and theorems, and those constants that prove a system and deliver the same results every time.<\/p>\n<p>One plus one equals two.<\/p>\n<p>One plus one should equal two.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s comfort in that. But like life\u2014and like publishing\u2014not everything follows the rules. You can do everything \u201cright,\u201d follow every formula, and still end up with goose eggs.<\/p>\n<p>Publishing isn\u2019t always about the story; sometimes it\u2019s about timing. I\u2019ve known brilliant inventors ahead of their time, missing the boon of the market because they were too early. I\u2019ve seen wonderful ideas die on the vine and then become reborn because of renewed visibility.<\/p>\n<p>Now to hit home. I\u2019ve seen Black and marginalized authors face struggle after struggle\u2014and do everything right and never find that soft place to land. When you\u2019re writing stories that highlight the communities or historical figures that represent 13\u201320% of the reading public instead of the 80% reading addressable market, the math to visibility is simply harder math. It takes more effort to reach the readers who crave truth and value diversity and depth over myth and comfort.<\/p>\n<p>We compete on a sloped playing field, but we are ridiculed if we acknowledge the reality. It\u2019s not weakness to say the ground is not level. And the math odds say you will stumble, which leads to less support and systems that make the slope more dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>So, to my fellow writers, especially those who are tired and discouraged: sometimes the math just doesn\u2019t add up, and it\u2019s not your fault. It\u2019s not your imagination. And you are not weak for wanting to acknowledge the obvious. You\u2019re navigating a system that wasn\u2019t built for you. Your success relies on beating the odds. That\u2019s tiring.<\/p>\n<p>Does it hurt. Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Do I have answers. No.<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s what I do know\u2014you have a choice in how you respond to the system. Do the math. Count the costs. Decide what level of energy you will deliver to this system, and where you want to disrupt it. In the interim, tell your story. Tell them anyway. The 13% are in need of stories that humanize, that restore dignity, and that challenge what \u201chistory\u201d has left out.<\/p>\n<p>For <em>Fire Sword and Sea&#8211;<\/em>I had a different plan when I started researching. From the moment I stood in the pirate prison in Port Royal, Jamaica, Jacquotte Delahaye and her cohorts began telling me their lives. The research changed my novel. And it definitely changed me.<\/p>\n<p>I had to write about women pirates who defied empires and expectations. Jacquotte and her sisters of the sea\u2014the risk-takers, dream igniters, and steadfast shields of fiery grace\u2014they deserve to be remembered. They fought for economic freedom for themselves and their families. They shattered boundaries and broke bones in pursuit of survival and the right to live as they chose.<\/p>\n<p>I did the math. I\u2019m doing everything I can to bring attention to their stories that I\u2019ve captured in Fire Sword and Sea\u2014talking about it, planning events, inviting you to join me. Because you, my listeners, my readers\u2014you\u2019re part of my crew.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you\u2019re feeling weary, wondering if your story matters, let me tell you: it does. Maybe now more than ever. Truth-telling, whether in history or art, is rebellion against erasure. It\u2019s how we keep from drowning beneath the tides of comfort and myth.<\/p>\n<p>Do the math. Do the work. And keep going.<\/p>\n<p>This is week forty-seven of the <em>Write of Passage<\/em> podcast\u2014now at fifteen thousand downloads and over hundred thousand Substack views. Thank you for sailing with me through both storm and calm. Let\u2019s keep breaking the waves together.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s books to reflect upon are:<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/86036\/9780316017930\">Outliers<\/a> by Malcolm Gladwell &#8211; Explores how success often depends less on individual talent and more on timing, opportunity, and winning the hidden systems around us.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/86036\/9780679763888\">The Warmth of Other Suns<\/a> by Isabel Wilkerson &#8211; A sweeping history that restores dignity and humanity to those whose stories were buried.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/86036\/9781620975879\">Thick: And Other Essays<\/a> by Tressie McMillan Cottom &#8211; Reflects upon what it meant to live and create as a Black woman in systems designed to misunderstand you.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/86036\/9781641600552\">A Pirate\u2019s Life for She: Swashbuckling Women Through the Ages<\/a> by Laura Sook Duncombe -Spotlights women pirates who defied expectation and carved out economic and personal freedom.<\/p>\n<p>And of course <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/86036\/9780063271043\">Fire Sword and Sea<\/a> by Vanessa Riley. Caribbean women pirates\u2014Black women pirates join French and Indigenous women to sail the seas. Fire Sword and Sea releases January 13th, 2026. If you\u2019re a librarian, vote for this book now for Library Reads in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edelweiss.plus\/?sku=0063271044\">Edelweiss<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netgalley.com\/catalog\/book\/726721\">NetGalley<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This week, I\u2019m highlighting <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/resistbooksellers.com\/\"><strong>Resist Book Sellers<\/strong><\/a><strong> through their website and <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/shop\/resistbks\"><strong>Bookshop.org<\/strong><\/a><strong> .<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Consider purchasing Fire Sword and Sea from <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/86036\/9780063271043\"><strong>Resist Book Sellers<\/strong><\/a><strong> or one of my partners in the fight<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\"><strong>, bookstore\u2019s<\/strong><\/a><strong> large and small who are in this with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We are less two months away the January 13<\/strong><strong>th<\/strong><strong> release.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Show notes include a list of the books mentioned in this broadcast.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanessariley.com\/\"><strong>VanessaRiley.com<\/strong><\/a><strong> under the podcast link in the About tab.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>If you\u2019re on board my ship, press that like button, subscribe and share <\/strong><strong><em>Write of Passage. Never miss a moment. We have work to do. And I need You.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thank you for listening. Hopefully, you\u2019ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a public episode. If you&#8217;d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2\">vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"vanes-1150801945\" class=\"vanes-after-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 3px;margin-right: 3px;margin-bottom: 3px;margin-left: 3px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?fit=1080%2C1350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Listen to the Write of Passage Weekly Podcast\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=819%2C1024&ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"540\" height=\"675\"   \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I started researching pirates, everyone\u2014and I mean everyone\u2014immediately brought up Pirates of the Caribbean. And why not? It\u2019s cinematic, dashing, and full of swashbuckling flair. We love that world of yo-ho-ho and pirate speak. But when I dug deeper into the research, I found that most of what we imagine about pirates is more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,793,9,620,756,694],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-stories","category-politics","category-recommended-reading","category-syndication","category-technology","category-tv-and-film"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/f90b3e24ed91b9ce9e676825a1823dd8.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}