Carolyn CordonWriters as vampires
August 1st 2008 02:35
I recently had something terrible happen and I was horrified to find myself analysing how I could use the experience in my writing, whether it be poetry, prose, whatever. Am I an awful person for doing this, or not?
I'm a great believer in creative writing as a form of therapy, and wonder if others have good/bad experiences with this. I know I often use creative writing to tap more deeply into the depths of my mind, and drag things out to look at again. Looking at bad things, in the clear light of day, rather than keeping them locked away, can help lessen the enormity of whatever bad thing it was.
This terrible thing that happened may end up being a poem, a private diary entry, an incident in a short story or novel. Or it may go no further than this post in writing. I'm OK with that. I know I won't allow this to damage my life. It's making me sad now, and will for some time to come, but that's the way it should be, there is no requirement for a person to be happy at every single moment of their life. Sad things, bad things, as well as good things, all happen.
That's life. If you dwell exclusively on the bad things, to the extent of ignoring the good things, you are doing yourself and those who love you, much damage. If you can accept the bad and sad, and move on as you feel appropriate, move forward and learn from what happened, then you are growing. If you curl up around the bad/sad things and refuse to move forward, you will never learn and grow into the person you are meant to be.
I'm a great believer in creative writing as a form of therapy, and wonder if others have good/bad experiences with this. I know I often use creative writing to tap more deeply into the depths of my mind, and drag things out to look at again. Looking at bad things, in the clear light of day, rather than keeping them locked away, can help lessen the enormity of whatever bad thing it was.
This terrible thing that happened may end up being a poem, a private diary entry, an incident in a short story or novel. Or it may go no further than this post in writing. I'm OK with that. I know I won't allow this to damage my life. It's making me sad now, and will for some time to come, but that's the way it should be, there is no requirement for a person to be happy at every single moment of their life. Sad things, bad things, as well as good things, all happen.
That's life. If you dwell exclusively on the bad things, to the extent of ignoring the good things, you are doing yourself and those who love you, much damage. If you can accept the bad and sad, and move on as you feel appropriate, move forward and learn from what happened, then you are growing. If you curl up around the bad/sad things and refuse to move forward, you will never learn and grow into the person you are meant to be.
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Comment by Chris Champion
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Your post poses an interesting question. How people react to adversity can be a window on their true selves. Is it a selfish or otherwise negative thing to use a difficulty for secondary purposes?
I'm no psychologist, but it seems to me that a writer putting herself at a distance from a drama - traumatic or otherwise, personal or otherwise - is just being a writer.
A good writer is, by definition, an observer of life, so you could arguably turn this question around and ask, if something terrible happened to you, and you did not at some point analyse how you might use the experience for your writing, would you be an awful writer?
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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Comment by Carmen
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Interesting post though! And I agree with Chris's comment: as a writer you can't really help but observe and record.
Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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I think that when the time feels 'right' for you, you'll be able to delve into the personal issues you've had, whether it's marriage issues, other family issues, childhood issues. It's all there waiting for the writer to shape and re-shape.
I find writing helps in finding out what I truly believe about something. Using creative writing lets us look at issues from a variety of angles, searching for the internal truth or truths of a thing.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Carolyn Cordon
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How do You Express Your Creativity?
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