As a writer, a question i face so often is "Why share it?" Why revisit troubling experiences, mine difficult emotions and confront my own (and, so, others') darkest parts? Why repeatedly seek the Shadow, coaxing it out like the frightened child or cautious animal it is?
As i get closer to finishing and publishing my book after a long period of relative quiet (if not silence) and hermitage, these questions intensify. Ralph Keyes' book, The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear, which Holly recommended to me, has been really helpful these past few days.
But, more than any book, the camaraderie and understanding born from sharing experiences, however painful, are the unshakable proofs that stand up to the doubt i subject myself to. I am so grateful to my friends who have recently shown me this firsthand. This article--about the vital role of survivors speaking out to combatting the epidemic of rape in Congo--speaks toward that strength.
We have to remember how important our voices are. Sometimes, whether we ever know it or not, that terrifying poem, fiction, essay, collage, conversation, is someone else's lifeline.
2 comments:
glad you wrote this. i am struggling with this. i feel like a few years ago i stepped away from poetry to approach a more real, truth-telling nonfiction and now i am just fed up with writing my darknesses out. I want to revisit poetry. When in doubt, I want to choose the explanation most magical and just give the things that haunt me a rest (or a headstart in festering) because I am very tired. I think the hermitage sounds like a great idea.
Renee, you are awesome.
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