An extraordinary facet that separates humanity from other life forms is the potential of our communication to extend past primal instinct (Tattersall, 2021), branching into an art form with the ability to empower. This is the case for Creative Writing: a field with the potential to illuminate the daunting path of our world’s future. At the heart of this endeavour lies the concept of long-term thinking, a cognitive approach that involves projecting the potential consequences of present actions into the distant future (Krznaric, 2020). This essay will be exploring how long-term thinking in the field of creative writing can be the spark of hope to help us manoeuvre through the forest of disconcertion ahead of us.

Empathy is the cornerstone of human connection, enabling us to understand and share others’ emotions (Håkansson Eklund & Summer Meranius, 2021). Creative Writing taps into this very essence, offering readers a profound glimpse into characters grappling with challenges akin to their own. By depicting characters’ joys, sorrows, loves, and adversities, writers invite readers to delve into these fictional counterparts’ psyches, prompting an emotional resonance that transcends words (Mar et al., 2011). It bridges the gap between individual experiences and global challenges by weaving relatable characters and emotions into narratives that humanize complex global issues, encouraging readers to consider broader implications. This fusion of personal emotions and broader concerns nurtures an optimistic sense of interconnectedness, driving readers to critically assess characters’ choices and apply insights to reality. This often sparks action and engagement, both personally and collectively, in addressing global challenges such as inequality (Pratama & Yuliati, 2016; Dahl, 2023). Whether or not tangible change follows, Creative Writing undeniably fosters a form of optimism through its emphatic narrative power.

Within the realm of Creative Writing, utopian narratives act as compelling roadmaps toward a brighter future. Writers skilfully weave tapestries of societies marked by cooperation, equality, and sustainable progress (Gerber, 1973). These stories surpass the limitations of current realities and offer readers a glimpse of what could be achieved through collective efforts. By presenting models of flourishing civilizations, utopian narratives ignite the imagination and may inspire individuals to strive for the realization of similar ideals in their own communities. The power of utopian storytelling lies not merely in its escapism, but in its ability to instil a sense of hope and purpose (Kind, 2022). When readers immerse themselves in these narratives, they encounter visions of a world where global challenges have been met with innovative solutions and humanity has embraced its potential for positive transformation. This exposure to possibilities fosters a sense of optimism and fuels a collective belief in our capacity to address pressing issues and create a future marked by progress and well-being.

In conclusion, Creative Writing stands as a powerful testament to human ingenuity, resilience, and our capacity to envision a brighter future. It can cultivate empathy that bridges individual experiences with global challenges, and utopian narratives within Creative Writing provide blueprints for harmonious societies— sparking the imagination and kindling hope in the possibility of collective progress. Creative Writing reminds us that within our narratives lie the seeds of change, capable of sprouting into transformative actions. It prompts us to envision a world shaped by our collective efforts— one where hope prevails, and where the power of stories propels us toward a more harmonious future.

Bekhta, N. (2020) We-narratives: Collective storytelling in contemporary fiction [Preprint]. doi:10.26818/9780814214411.

Dahl, U. (2023) ‘Creative writing as feminist freedom’, European Journal of Women’s Studies, 30(1), pp. 84–89. doi:10.1177/13505068221144943.

Gerber, R. (1973) Utopian fantasy: A study of English utopian fiction since the end of the nineteenth century. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Håkansson Eklund, J. and Summer Meranius, M. (2021) ‘Toward a consensus on the nature of empathy: A review of reviews’, Patient Education and Counseling, 104(2), pp. 300–307. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2020.08.022.

Kind, A. (2022) ‘Fiction and the cultivation of imagination’, The Philosophy of Fiction, pp. 262–281. doi:10.4324/9781003139720-17.

Krznaric, R. (2020) The good ancestor: How to think long term in a short-term world. Londres: Penguin Random House.

Mar, R.A. et al. (2011) ‘Emotion and narrative fiction: Interactive influences before, during, and after reading’, Cognition & Emotion, 25(5), pp. 818–833. doi:10.1080/02699931.2010.515151.

Pratama, H. and Yuliati (2016) ‘Global education in English classroom: Integrating global issues into English language teaching’, International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 6(9), pp. 719–722. doi:10.7763/ijssh.2016.v6.739.

Tattersall, I. (2021) ‘A timeline for the acquisition of symbolic cognition in the human lineage’, The Oxford Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution [Preprint]. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198813781.013.4.

Wandor, M. (2008) The author is not dead, merely somewhere else: Creative writing after theory. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.