Oh yes, the 24 hour sit! Where should I be honest or vulnerable? I really like asking what you've asked here: is this going to be relevant to the story?
Yesterday I published a very uncomfortable piece. There was one line in particular that made me cringe to share, however, I wanted everyone to be uncomfortable. I wanted them to pull away from my husband's touch as much as I did or feel the self-loathing of diving into mountains of food.
I read that in your essay, Chanel, and it was well done.
Sometimes we, as writers, are meant to make people uncomfortable. Not to make them feel bad or to harm or hurt them, but to nudge them outside of their comfortable and easy perceptions of life. I think you did that in your essay.
Truth is essential in writing, but that's not the same as oversharing. This is a tough line to draw in memoir, isn't it? Readers don't see the details you choose to leave in and those you (very consciously) leave out. I hope, ultimately, that the trade-off in sharing my truth is worth the personal exposure. Thanks for this!
I agree, Julie! It's tricky to discern the difference between honesty and oversharing.
When it comes to storytelling, my personal opinion is that anything goes, as long as what we are disclosing moves the story forward. If it doesn't, then it doesn't fit this particular book or article.
But that doesn't mean it might not work in a different context.
No need to come for me like this! (Kidding of course.) But I do know my editing is my weakest point - I'm still finding the balance between writing for my own enjoyment and editing for others (because I find it tedious). It's funny, too, because in other creative processes (like drawing or pottery) I really like the detailed stuff... but with writing I just cannot edit a paragraph more than three times MAX.
Jane, what helps me with the tedium of editing is to step away from my work for at least a day, then revisit it. I admit I don't always have time to do this, but it's a general rule I try to follow. It breaks up the monotony and I find I can see what I wrote through fresh eyes.
When I do this (on a good day), I can see sentences that don't make sense even to me. If I can't figure out what I intended to convey, I'll delete these. If I can figure it out, I'll simplify or reword them for ease of reading.
Oh yes, the 24 hour sit! Where should I be honest or vulnerable? I really like asking what you've asked here: is this going to be relevant to the story?
Yesterday I published a very uncomfortable piece. There was one line in particular that made me cringe to share, however, I wanted everyone to be uncomfortable. I wanted them to pull away from my husband's touch as much as I did or feel the self-loathing of diving into mountains of food.
Thank you for the great read today!
I read that in your essay, Chanel, and it was well done.
Sometimes we, as writers, are meant to make people uncomfortable. Not to make them feel bad or to harm or hurt them, but to nudge them outside of their comfortable and easy perceptions of life. I think you did that in your essay.
Truth is essential in writing, but that's not the same as oversharing. This is a tough line to draw in memoir, isn't it? Readers don't see the details you choose to leave in and those you (very consciously) leave out. I hope, ultimately, that the trade-off in sharing my truth is worth the personal exposure. Thanks for this!
I agree, Julie! It's tricky to discern the difference between honesty and oversharing.
When it comes to storytelling, my personal opinion is that anything goes, as long as what we are disclosing moves the story forward. If it doesn't, then it doesn't fit this particular book or article.
But that doesn't mean it might not work in a different context.
No need to come for me like this! (Kidding of course.) But I do know my editing is my weakest point - I'm still finding the balance between writing for my own enjoyment and editing for others (because I find it tedious). It's funny, too, because in other creative processes (like drawing or pottery) I really like the detailed stuff... but with writing I just cannot edit a paragraph more than three times MAX.
Jane, what helps me with the tedium of editing is to step away from my work for at least a day, then revisit it. I admit I don't always have time to do this, but it's a general rule I try to follow. It breaks up the monotony and I find I can see what I wrote through fresh eyes.
When I do this (on a good day), I can see sentences that don't make sense even to me. If I can't figure out what I intended to convey, I'll delete these. If I can figure it out, I'll simplify or reword them for ease of reading.