Write What Scares You
April 23, 2012
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I’m writing that scary story.
It’s an LGBTQ story set in the rural south. As much as I wanted to write it that day
Ellen pointed her finger at me, I didn’t know how. At first I considered the POV of a girl, whose
best friend was a gay guy. But it didn’t
feel right because it would be like passing on a story second-hand. The retelling
of someone else’s story just isn’t as powerful.
I considered writing it through a gay guy’s point of view, but I am
sorely lacking in gay male perspective and I’d probably mess of him, having him in Prada and being a cliché rather than what he should be. Then I did the most unthinkable, I’m writing it from the POV of girl,
a lesbian.
Now that scares the shit out of me. I'm scared for many reasons.
Once I go there, the place where YA issues reside, I
can never turn back.
I’m scared I’m going to piss the LGBTQ community off, for
not getting it right.
I’m scared the country people from my home town will look at
me differently, shun me.
I’m most afraid of what my momma will think of me because she doesn't share my same views on gay people.
I’m most afraid of what my momma will think of me because she doesn't share my same views on gay people.
Needless to say, I might piss a lot of people off. No matter how much I try not to, there is no
way I’m going to make everyone happy. It’s
a lesson I’ve battled all my life and now I’m going to have to accept it as
truth.
I know you are thinking, “Dana, you don’t even have an
agent. This manuscript may never get
published.” Well, I can’t think like that right now. Not while I’m writing is
anyway. There’ll be plenty of time to
worry about that later.
Writing what scares you means face your fears and don’t look
back. Don’t second guess yourself and
don’t let the future judgment of what others may say about you, stop you from writing what you have a voice for. Speak and let them hear you, whether they
like what they hear or not.
What are you scared to write? Why?
3 comments
I'm so darn proud of you for doing this! The saddest part? Is that writing about normal people is scary. It's scary for them that it's scary, it's scary for you that it's scary and it's scary for all of our children that it's scary. Which is EXACTLY why this book needs to be written, and so many more! I have good feelings about this one!! :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes a story calls you and you have to answer. I would do some serious research so you have an authentic voice for the character.
ReplyDeleteNicole - Thank you! I'm pretty proud of myself. I have good feelings about this one too!
ReplyDeleteLeslie - That is so true, when it calls, it calls. And you can't shut it up. I plan on reading a ton of LGBT books after my first draft. Voices in other books tend to influence my own so I want have a clear head when writing this.
Love hearing from my friends.♥