To Thine Own Self Be True!

Don’t let popular, ever-changing social norms erode your personal identity and belief system. You were born into a brief but specific and unique time period. Therefore, I encourage you to think, speak, act, and live like you’re from that time period. Don’t be afraid or pressured by what anyone says about you or your kind, lest you abandon who you are to blend in with whatever crowd is presently dominating the world.

Now, if you want to conform to some other group’s identity, go ahead. That’s fine, as we all have the freedom of association and the right to be who we want to be, which should be honored by every American. Just remember, there have always been, and will always be, some significant differences between generations, sexes, and ethnicities.

My romance novel, Champagne Waves & Sailing Ships, is aimed directly at Boomers and Gen Xers because I have lived experiences with these groups. I know them, their ways, and their flavor. We have shared nostalgia, customs, and habits. They are my comfort zone.

As a writer, I’m always reminding myself that I must be true to my characters’ shared nostalgia, customs, and habits; joys and sorrows; victories and defeats. I can’t let what I know about the future tarnish what we had in the past. We were special and can’t be replicated ever again—Beatlemania and rock n’ roll, hippies and Woodstock, the Vietnam War, Kent State, and 4 dead in Ohio. The first Super Bowl, Jack Nicklaus, and what the heck was hockey and soccer?
I’m just saying, I thank God I’m a member of the Boomer Generation!

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:2 MSG)

Be blessed and prosperous in every way!
Brian