A Behind the Scenes merged with an Exclusive Writing Lab on being harrassed on the internet, how to help yourself avoid such a mess, and an example
Welcome and I’m surging a bit forward in my own story to post about something that is crucial in your memoir writing. That something is truth.
Can a memoir writer tell the whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth-so-help-me? ✋
No. And yes.
No: Truth is not fully accessible to you, me, or anyone. We know our experience, but even what we know, or remember, can change over time because we often adjust events to fit a certain narrative running in our minds. Truth then is tricky. Truth is subjective.
Yes: When I have facts, I can use them to make something provable. But still the truth can still be up for debate should someone show up with other facts that bring my own into question.
Confused?
Me too!
And that confusion is important to call out (the sooner the better, too) because it provides us with a glimpse into the complexity of our struggle.
We will not, not ever, get it right.
We will not, not ever, prove our point of view and be able to say that what we experienced is the definitive truth. And this is even more true now because of the internet where some crank with little more than a cell phone has the power to discredit us and influence opinion. This crank doesn’t need to prove his claim either; he need only suggest the other is lying and that is enough to sway opinion (or introduce doubt).
How do I know this? Well, such a crank did this to me for several years.
With a computer and a dogged persistence, this odd pup threatened me and my family, tormented Simon & Schuster, and harassed my friends, employers, and even the poor men and women on Amazon who posted comments about Blackbird. He wrote emails to individuals, called them on the phone, created a website.
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