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Sophia Theories's avatar

You articulated all the nuances and contradictions about personal writing so well. I'm hyper-aware that I'm selling a certain narrative, and documenting a fleeting version of myself when I post, and I'm still figuring out how much to say and how to say without feeling exploited or too exposed. I have the same rule as you - I won't write about a wound if it's still raw. I was driving myself a lil crazy ruminating about this topic today, so thank you so much for sharing!

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sara jin li's avatar

sophia, it makes me so happy to touch on something that's one someone else's mind! i think about this constantly—the responsibility to tell a story with care. i sometimes reread old essays and i can pinpoint instantly if i wrote it from a place of hurt or curiosity. it takes many, many drafts. i think it's a good thing for writers to ponder; better to ruminate on this than rush into posting!

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mari's avatar

love to come across this as i'm reading McCurdy's book and reflecting so much on trauma as a writing topic -- realizing it's not for me until the wound is somehow healed. i'm coming to the conclusion that writing can be a useful tool in the healing process, while publishing it... not so much.

thanks for sharing your thoughts on that :)

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sara jin li's avatar

let me know what you think of the book! and yes, i think realizing the difference between writing versus platforming is huge and what i wish i had realized sooner

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

"the gift of time, nuance, and intent" is absolutely it! for me, I can only write well about something after a significant period of time has passed. Otherwise I just don't have enough objective distance from the topic to do it justice.

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sara jin li's avatar

yes! it's tricky—i can sometimes write about something as it's happening or right after it happened. but writing versus publishing...

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Gonzo Girl's avatar

That first sentence sunk its claws into me instantly. Incredible and spot on.

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