Don't hide any events of your life that cause you anxiety or pain. It's not necessary to reveal them to others, but write them down for yourself. Examine them, bury the notebook but don't let those things pollute your other writing. Whatever is hidden or secretive will look for a way out. You'll write about a grilled cheese sandwich and bubbling up in the middle of the cheese will be incest, deception or adultery. Claiming it, exploring it, will free you. This doesn't mean that you have to make it public.
I have written stories for the drawer. One in particular I decided to pull out years later, edit and submit. Now it has been published in Zest Literary Journal, issue number two. There are other stories left in the bottom of the drawer. Some will be dragged out in the future, some never.
Only when your secrets are on the page and not concealed will they stop haunting you.
This is taken in part from Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg. I recommend this book whether your write fiction or memoir. A wonderful read, full of exercises to elevate and transform your muse.
catherine@catherinealexander.net
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