Honesty in Writing

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            The new year brings two new published stories for me, available soon in the local Writers of the Mendocino Coast's annual anthology. I'm sharing one this month, "White Powder Blues," a much longer version of my previous half-page story with the same name.

            I first wrote this piece in third person, but my writing group insisted it should be first-person. They knew the story was really about me, and rightly stated it would be less distant, more real, and a better story if I owned it. 

            I had scary visions of standing at the podium and reading it to other anthology participants, knowing my secrets of another time in my life, a drug one, would become public knowledge. But I knew my co-writers were right, so I set aside my fears and followed their recommendation. 

            Earlier this month I did read five minutes of my story to others, via Zoom. And it was scary. But it's one of those questions for authors: How much truth should you tell? Who might you hurt in the process? The reality is: the more you share what's personal, your true feelings, the better your work will be.

           I'm glad I did it. I think it's made my story better.

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."

Robert Frost

American Poet

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