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!
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!
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.
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
"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.
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!
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!
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 :)
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
"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.
yes! it's tricky—i can sometimes write about something as it's happening or right after it happened. but writing versus publishing...
That first sentence sunk its claws into me instantly. Incredible and spot on.