If you are like me, you’re still processing what this election means for you, your family, and our friends and community. Like me, you are probably worried about the safety of those a famous carpenter’s son once described as “the least among us.”

What can we do? I’m confident there will be plenty of opportunities to speak out for justice in the coming years — marches, protests, and opportunities to stand up for what is right.

Also: You can write. And write some more. And keep writing.

Now more than ever, the world needs your words.

When the Frodos of the world are weary of living in such times, we need heroes to reply, “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

When people shrug off the dangers of extremism, we need the Offreds of literature to paint the picture of where we are headed, even when so many refuse to listen.

When we are in the Pit of Despair, we need the Westleys and Princess Buttercups to inspire us about the nature of true love while making our sides hurt from laughter.

And when we are overwhelmed with ugly rhetoric and cruel actions, we need gorgeous prose and poetry to remind us of the sheer depth, breadth, and beauty that humanity can offer.

The books above inspired us in the past. But we’re a new generation. And we need new inspirations that meet the moment. We need that LQBTQ fantasy to show queer kids as heroes, not quirky sidekicks. We need fiction based on the lived experiences of immigrants to shine a light on the hard truth that we may not know about (or try to ignore). We need more. More of everything.

In a time of fear and oppression, writing can be a form of radical subversion. The pen (or our fingers on keyboards) can speak truth to power and reveal fundamental truths from deep within our souls. And when the scared and weak-minded try to shout us down, ban our books, or push us to the margins, we stand up — together — as a united force for good.

After the tragedy of 9/11, the cast of Saturday Night Live struggled with putting on a show. How, in a time of such national heartache, could comedians perform goofy sketches? Michael Schur, a writer on the show at the time, recalled the folks at the top finally deciding to move forward. “It was like, this is how we contribute,” Schur said later. “You can’t suddenly become an EMT. So, unless you want to quit and enlist in the military, the way you can contribute is just by doing the show.”

We, as a nation, needed to remember how to laugh. To remember how to smile. To remember how to be goofy. This is not to diminish the tragedy, but rather reclaim our full humanity.

We need all that and more today. And you can help.

Maybe you won’t write today. And maybe not tomorrow, either. That’s ok. But it is my sincere hope that you continue your journey as an author. The world needs your words. Now more than ever.