Before the #whyshewrites challenge, I hadn’t written in quite some time on here and I began processing why this might be.
There are times when I wonder how writers can write about their lives and inevitably those in it without offending others or making people they know feel concerned that they might be in someone’s writing.
Generally, I take comfort in knowing that people I know read my words, but I do not necessarily need to know who they are. In many ways it is easier to not know my audience.
This is similar to how I feel about giving presentations. The element of distance from faces, staring eyes, and the proximal energy of judgement helps to create a barrier from affective worry.
Anyway, I digress.
If I were to write fiction, it might create a bit of distance between the real life and the one on the page/screen. However, that is not my usual genre. Besides that, even in fiction, people wonder if they are being represented in the characters – if they know the author.
So, in a friendly conversation some months ago now, a friend asked me what her character’s name would be in my novel or novels. This very unassuming question caused me to stop writing for a bit as I wondered if I needed to be careful about the topics that I wrote about.
Much of my writing comes from conversations with others around me or experiences that I have on a daily basis. I observe. I judge. I contemplate. Sometimes people may not agree with my contemplative observations and judgements.
However, as a friend commented recently, I write with honesty. I do not apologize for having my opinions or interpretations about life or others.
At the same time, it is never my intention to make others feel bad or judged (too much 😛 ). It’s hard to ensure that others know that my writing is simply through my own filter.
People can agree or disagree freely, but I hope that those who know me understand that if they find themselves the source of my contemplations, I’m not criticizing them in any way. Rather, I’m processing my own view and sharing – which may be in agreement or not.
Anyway, before I fall into the ‘methinks she doth protest too much’ category in trying to explain myself, I shall bring this to a close.
Now that I have pushed through my writer’s dread of offending or being judged for judging, I believe I shall be writing more again. 😛
~T 😀
