I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but my writing class this Fall isn't so much fiction writing as it is more about memoir writing, something I've never really tried. I have too many reservations. If I told my story, or the stories of the people I know, I might have to change my name and move far, far away. Our family stories aren't all rainbows and sunshine, if you know what I mean.
So, as you can imagine, I'm a bit nervous. I'm worried that if I try to keep everything safe, if I try to protect myself and the other people in my life, my stories will be boring and flat. I'm also worried that if I give myself permission to write the truth as I know it, I'm going to be met with disbelief. And then there's the whole question of whether or not I have to have a staring role in the stories. There's one story in particular that I've always thought could provide enough fodder for a full-length novel, but I'm only an observer in it and not an active participant.
I know many of these questions will be answered in class, but I can't help but to think about these things right now. It's the way I'm wired.
So, as you can imagine, I'm a bit nervous. I'm worried that if I try to keep everything safe, if I try to protect myself and the other people in my life, my stories will be boring and flat. I'm also worried that if I give myself permission to write the truth as I know it, I'm going to be met with disbelief. And then there's the whole question of whether or not I have to have a staring role in the stories. There's one story in particular that I've always thought could provide enough fodder for a full-length novel, but I'm only an observer in it and not an active participant.
I know many of these questions will be answered in class, but I can't help but to think about these things right now. It's the way I'm wired.
I think those are good questions. I'm always feeling this push and pull to write things that might hurt people. Once I heard a writer say, "Write it anyway." I think that's good advice. After all, it's so hard to get published anyway, I'm not going to worry about it getting in the wrong hands just yet.
ReplyDeleteHi, Krista. I've been editing my father's memoirs. Some of the stories shed a whole new light on a man that I thought I knew, because I grew up with him. And the most powerful stories were those in which he himself was the villain, of sorts.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that you can't tone down the story, or else it will be boring.
My dad, when he talked about nasty things that others did, never named names. He did, however, sometimes give titles and names of organizations, if they were relevant to the story. The real issue there is: are they likely to sue you? Ideally, you want to talk to a lawyer about that.
Anyone else he mentioned, he got permission from. But they were all the heroes of the story.