Today, we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We remember him as a Baptist minister, a civil rights leader, an advocate for nonviolent assembly and change, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and a powerful orator.

I think sometimes, though, people forget he was a brilliant author.

Leah Dearborn of LitReactor Magazine wrote a compelling article called “Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr., The Writer” in which she outlines four things she learned from reading his work. Here they are. To be:

1. Urgent
2. Prolific
3. Clear
4. Empathetic

As writers of fiction, particularly genre fiction, we might think these lessons don’t apply. Nonfiction authors focus on research and references. Literary authors strive to write eloquent, compelling stories that go on to be studied and revered in literary analysis courses for years to come. But genre authors have reputations for being more concerned with…