{"id":6275,"date":"2025-12-23T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/23\/write-of-passage-when-records-dont-exist-storytellers-do\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T14:10:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T14:10:00","slug":"write-of-passage-when-records-dont-exist-storytellers-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/23\/write-of-passage-when-records-dont-exist-storytellers-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Write of Passage: When Records Don\u2019t Exist, Storytellers Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6275-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/182401801\/ccd669e0d1929d4c1a77bd6a1c74ba2a.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/182401801\/ccd669e0d1929d4c1a77bd6a1c74ba2a.mp3\">https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/182401801\/ccd669e0d1929d4c1a77bd6a1c74ba2a.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p><p>I love nonfiction. It plays a needed role in our psyche. I hunt for it and use these tomes in my research.But fiction is as essential as the air we breathe.When lives were never fully recorded, storytellers do the remembering.<\/p>\n<\/p><div id=\"vanes-2618753338\" 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><strong>Still a Storyteller<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Right before I sat down to finish this essay\u2014and to record this podcast\u2014I completed the copy edits on my thirtieth book. <\/p>\n<p>Thirty books. Nine with traditional publisher, Kensington Books. I am proud of all the writing I\u2019ve done, but I\u2019m particularly proud of <em>A Deal at Dawn<\/em>, a novel I\u2019ll be talking about more in 2026. I\u2019m proud of it for a simple, powerful reason: I told a story, a complete story, one with a beginning middle, climax and end.<\/p>\n<p>When I was growing up, being called a storyteller didn\u2019t always carry a positive meaning. Sometimes it was a euphemism for someone who told lies. Years ago, I was interviewed on a podcast by a preacher who genuinely could not understand why fiction mattered. He kept circling back to the same question: <em>Why are you writing lies?<\/em> As if nonfiction were the only form of truth that could be wholesome or valuable.<\/p>\n<p>I love nonfiction. It plays a needed role in our psyche. I hunt for it and use these tomes in my research.<\/p>\n<p>Fiction has the ability to transform, to tell a message or moral, and to leave impact in ways nonfiction or true to life people can often miss. When lives were never fully recorded, storytellers do the remembering.<\/p>\n<p>Historical Fiction is important for marginalized groups. We often don\u2019t have cradle-to-grave records of most human lives. Especially before computers, there are gaps\u2014vast ones. The Truman Show, was a 1998 movie where Jim Carrey played a man whose entire life was scripted, recorded, and broadcast on television. I found the concept terrifying. And now, in our real world, where our apps listen to us, ads stalk us, and algorithms search for the precise moment where we are most vulnerable to be persuaded the invasion of our privacy is true.<\/p>\n<p>I merely wish that all the people watching and recording\u2026 that all this was for our good. Instead it shapes narratives\u2014often not to preserve truth, but to exploit it.<\/p>\n<p>When I wrote <em>Fire Sword and Sea<\/em>, I had to piece together the life of Jacquotte Delahaye using the records of her contemporaries\u2014white Europeans like Anne Dieu-le-Veut and Michel Le Basque. These lives. Anne\u2019s and Michel\u2019s were deemed important by the chroniclers. Their records survived. Jacquotte\u2019s did not. That absence does not mean her life was less meaningful or less extraordinary. It means the people left to tell her story were also label unimportant. They weren\u2019t given the opportunity to record and make sense of history.<\/p>\n<p>I am profoundly aware of how fortunate I am to be in a position to tell stories like hers, about bold women who dared to dream and live different lives.<\/p>\n<p>In the absence of storytellers, we are surrounded by people presenting lies as nonfiction and weaponizing so-called \u201ctruth\u201d to influence the next generation.<\/p>\n<p>I call on the storytellers to step up and do their job\u2014those who care deeply about history, those willing to tell the good and the bad and, yes, sometimes the ugly, alongside the beauty\u2014need to come forward and write. And if you can\u2019t write, share the stories that moved you. Talk to friends about the storytelling that matters.<\/p>\n<p>I watch the news and see stories about modern- or present-day activities being suppressed. There are times in 2025, where I wonder if storytellers will survive. The number of writers particularly in marginalized communities who\u2019ve been impacted, by layoffs, positions eliminated, and those just so tired that they quit\u2014I wonder about those storytellers in the upcoming years. It seems scary.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t believe me, track Publisher Weeklys deal announcements or the sections that announce firings.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional publishing is hard, impacted by an unwillingness to support authors or that they don\u2019t want the heat that can come by championing true facts in a world where truth is something people want to shut down. I don\u2019t know what it means to exist in a nation where only certain truths are permitted, while others must be redacted, distorted, or denied. How can anyone claim strength if they shatter at the mere presence of truth, hard ones that you want suppress?<\/p>\n<p>There are days I look at the screen, I don\u2019t know what to say.<\/p>\n<p>Today, as I finish my thirtieth book\u2014a novel that places sickle cell anemia, an ancient disease, at its center\u2014I find myself asking: What is the truth of a \u201chappily ever after\u201d when forever is not guaranteed?<\/p>\n<p>That may sound like heavy material for fiction. But that is exactly what storytellers do, make hard topics understandable and compelling. Storytellers want to sweep readers away from the status quo. Storytellers want to bolster a reader\u2019s courage and humor. Sometimes, storytellers show paths where none seem to exist. Storytellers offer encouragement. And we, storytellers honor and tell the truth. All of it.<\/p>\n<p>So even though the world feels shaky, I\u2019m still here. I will still tell stories. Prepare to be sick of me.<\/p>\n<p>Please stick around and join me on this journey. One of my goals for 2026 is to have bigger conversations with my heroes\u2014people who ve dedicated their lives to storytelling that changes the world. I\u2019m not <em>just<\/em> a reformed engineer. I was once a reporter for a college magazine. I\u2019ve interviewed Desmond Tutu, Wynton Marsalis, and After 7. That doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m a brilliant interviewer; it means I am lucky, persistent, and unafraid to put my mind to something and make it happen.<\/p>\n<p>I plan on making a lot of things happen in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>I need you with me in this upcoming year, in this season two of <em>Write of Passage<\/em>. I\u2019ll continue to share essays about what I\u2019m feeling, grounding them in history and context. And maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014I\u2019ll also share conversations with heroes who are still faithfully putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, film to camera, who are telling the stories that shape and change our world and build up our resilience.<\/p>\n<p>Books to make you a better storyteller or to make room for one In your life:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/251\/9780544002340\"><strong>The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human <\/strong><\/a><strong>by Jonathan Gottschall<\/strong> \u2014 A non-fiction exploration of how storytelling is fundamental to human psychology and culture.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/251\/9780593133194\"><strong>Languages of Truth: Essays 2003\u20132020 <\/strong><\/a><strong>by Salman Rushdie<\/strong> \u2014 A collection of essays about literary creativity, storytelling, myth, culture, and the power of narrative in human life.<\/p>\n<p>And go watch:<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Truman Show<\/em><\/strong><strong> (1998)<\/strong> \u2014 A chilling meditation on surveillance and manufactured truth, where a man discovers his entire life has been scripted, sold, and watched.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This week, I\u2019m highlighting <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mjudsonbooks.com\/\"><strong>M. Judson<\/strong><\/a><strong> through their website and <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/shop\/mjudsonbooks\"><strong>Bookshop.org<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We are twenty+ days away from the release of course <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/251\/9780063271043\"><strong>Fire Sword and Sea<\/strong><\/a><strong> on January 13<\/strong><strong>th<\/strong><strong>, 2026. Caribbean women pirates\u2014Black women pirates join French and Indigenous women to sail the seas in disguise. Imagine what their true is. Help me get folks talking about this novel.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Consider purchasing Fire Sword and Sea from <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/251\/9780063271043\"><strong>M. Judson Booksellers<\/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>Come on my readers, my listeners. Let\u2019s get everyone excited for January reads.<\/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>Enjoying the vibe? Go ahead and like this episode, share, and subscribe to <\/strong><strong><em>Write of Passage<\/em><\/strong><strong> so you never miss a moment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thank you for listening. Hopefully, you\u2019ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/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-4116536172\" 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>I love nonfiction. It plays a needed role in our psyche. I hunt for it and use these tomes in my research.But fiction is as essential as the air we breathe.When lives were never fully recorded, storytellers do the remembering. Still a Storyteller Right before I sat down to finish this essay\u2014and to record this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6276,"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-6275","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\/12\/45fe3cb1081d4e52e9aa1e54b29d8684.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6275","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=6275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}