Writer's Blog

What makes some people volunteer their time and others choose not to? This is a theme in my FOIL stories given that my character spends his nights helping people in need. I can’t say what he does during the day because it would be a spoiler for readers of the opening stories. 

I grew up wondering about community and how to connect. My parents taught me that giving back and sharing are important parts of the human community. Parents, role models, and peers are where most people learn this. But I was a shy introvert and unsure how or where to start once on my own.

Two movies gave me clues. One was “The Year of Living Dangerously” (1982) about a reporter navigating political turmoil in Indonesia. In the poverty filled streets of Jakarta, the character Billy asks (paraphrased): ‘When there are thousands in need, is it worth helping just one or two?’ My response was ‘yes, it is’. But who and how do you help?

The second film was Woody Allen’s “Broadway Danny Rose” (1984) where Allen plays a talent agent who handles really cheap stage acts like balloon folders and dancing mice. At the end and almost broke, he hosts a TV dinner Thanksgiving for his loser clients which lifts them up to feel better about their difficult lives. It illustrated that the who and the how are less important than just doing to help give hope and possibilities to those who need it. For some it is as basic as groceries and shelter, for others it might be education or community and friendship.

That is my connection and also The Foil’s, who goes out at night to secure safety for those around him while helping his own tattered soul find peace.