I'm struggling again, as I do from time to time, with how much of my own life to include in stories that I'm writing or thinking of writing.
The really horrible, awful thing that happened to me last week and has happened to several of my friends and family members could be a really powerful story or piece of a story in a future novel. But then, I wonder, how much of my life I should keep for myself and how much am I willing to share?
What if I'm interviewed about my book and the interviewer asks, "Did this ever happen to you?" Do I lie, as I know many, many writers do? I mean, come on -- how else can they write so powerfully about certain life experiences without going through it themselves? Or do I tell the truth and risk having to tell my own painful story over and over again? Like anything, I suppose there is a happy median, but I'm prone to overindulge or over-explain.
I wrote a few scenarios based on my hideously bad week in my journal today while I thought about them. Not that I'll ever be able to forget what happened to me. But at least I have something on paper somewhere. It was kind of therapeutic.
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