The elephant in the room, the open secret, the thing that everyone sees but nobody talks about, is prime material for a book.
It's a relief to read about, a relief to write about. It's scary to approach, and liberating to touch.
If
we try to write around it, we may end up with an elephant-shaped hole
in the story. Everyone knows there's something missing, something
important we're not mentioning.
I once scribbled this in one of my notebooks: "You must write about the thing you must not write about."
This may be one reason people started writing in the first place: to name the elephants lurking in the corners.
Been there. Avoidance. Readers will call you out on it every time.
ReplyDeleteCritiquers who can point this out are extremely valuable.
DeleteLOVE this post. I want to print it and hang it on my wall.
ReplyDelete:-) Thank you!
DeleteI love this. What a challenge to us! At times, I find myself wondering if I "should" write about certain issues that might feel uncomfortable to others. Whenever I get to this point, I tell myself, "Oh, why not?" and go forward.
ReplyDeleteWrite it. You can decide later whether to show it to anyone.
DeleteI like honesty in writing. So I'd go for an elephant over lipstick on an elephant any day.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm finding this lipstick-wearing elephant a fascinating character ... ;-)
DeleteThe best thing about this post is that it can apply to any writer. We all do this with *something.*
ReplyDeleteI suspect you are right!
Delete