The Writer's Curse: Conflict Avoidance
We need to address the true mess of our family dramas, including our own shame
Hi everybody,
Officially, Iβve concluded my Conversation Continues series, but when I went searching for todayβs mid-week inspiration for you, I found a quote by Charles Baxter which so perfectly dovetailed with last weekβs conversation that I felt compelled to share it here.
In case you missed the first post, the basic idea is that memoirists often package their family stories as smooth, polished βluggageβ rather than let the messier aspects of their historical βbaggageβ show:
In one of the chapters in his fabulous little book The Art of Subtext, Baxter addresses the same core concept in terms of conflict. Heβs specifically concerned with fiction writers, for whom drama is the driving engine of plot, but I believe his advice more than extends to memoirists who shy away from exposing their familiesβ true βvulgarity.β
Here, then, is Baxterβs advice, boldface indicating the bits I find most resonant, followed by my own perspective on this topic and a passage from Paula Foxβs Borrowed Finery which exemplifies the value of Baxterβs message for memoiristsβplus a Bonus Prompt just for you!
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