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The Over-Sharing Dilemma
How to Free Yourself to Write Without Worrying About it
Yes, I Am Writing About My Life
Telling stories that carry a “truth” that I explore and share is the mental box I use to release my work out into the world. It serves as my armor to protect the real me, my real life story.
I have a close friend who is amazed at how much she perceives I share about my personal life. She is a very private person so her reaction comes from her own personal preferences about what anyone outside her circle can know.
I remember a friend slyly smiling at me after a directed reading of a play in which the climax was a rape. He said, “Now I know more about you.” I don’t know what he inferred but it made me uncomfortable. Does it matter?
A Strategy To Handle the Fear
As writers, there is a fine line between using your life as a source for your work and over-sharing. You have to take a position on it if you are going to release your work for the world to see. I call my way of dealing with this, putting it in a box. You put your reservations in a mental box so that you can protect your psyche and still be brave enough to share.
