Let Them Say What They'll Say

Sometimes the greatest impediment to writing something is what others might think of you. If you write about some unpleasant or taboo subject, people will think that you have some fetish for it. They will also believe that everything you write is either a fantasy you wish would come true or something you've already done. And how embarrassing that would be.

Screw them. Not everything is autobiographical. Not everything is author fantasy. Sometimes you just want to tell a story that happens to be unpleasant. And even if you are interested in a subject that isn't proper at a dinner party, don't let that stop you. For one thing, more people are interested in the things you like than you would think. For another, writing isn't a dinner party.

For example, I am fascinated with Battered Person Syndrome and the battered woman defense. It is completely illogical to me. I can't imagine why a person would be in an abusive relationship in the first place, let alone stay with that person, or seek comfort from their abuser. Everything about it goes against everything I know and believe in. However, for as illogical as it seems, there are so many examples of it, so many studies done, and such an identifiable pattern with identifiable symptoms that there is something about it that must make sense to the victims and that I simply am not looking at it in the right way.

If I were to write a story (or several stories) involving an abusive relationship and focusing on the battered person, people might think many things. They might think that I've experienced it or seen it in my own family. They might also think that I could be an abuser or support it. In both cases, those people would be dead wrong. I'm just writing a story. The subject is an interest to me, but not because of personal experience.

However, I shouldn't let that stop me from writing such a story. I can't stop people from thinking whatever thoughts pop into their heads and I wouldn't dare try. I can, though, correct the if they ask me about it and ignore them if they refuse to listen. I'm going to write stories about things that interest me. Let them say what they'll say.