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Tanya Hanson's avatar

'...if I tell exactly the story I’ve set out to tell, I’ve failed. The truer story exists somewhere outside the margins of consciousness.'

I am going to use this tidbit deeply as I work in the lovely space of death and dying. Thanks Jeannie!

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Cammie Basseri's avatar

I enjoyed reading through this technique—I explored a similar one that finally changed everything for me while working on my memoir; it was a true lightbulb moment. My former professor at UCLA had us write a scene from our first person perspective; I wrote a scene with my mother, whom I have had a difficult time writing about, mostly because I was stuck inside my own inner pain and suffering (all valid, but does not always make for great, full-picture writing).

Then I was tasked with re-writing the same scene, this time in 2nd-person narrative, where the "you" is my mother––and this unlocked a much better understanding of my mother and her own struggles, as well as allowing me to explore the memory in a more raw and honest light. This was eye-opening for me, and I think this is sometimes the hardest part of the work because we fear fully processing our past in such a three dimensional way will be excusatory––but it needn't be that. The exercise allowed me to hold space for my own mother's traumas while offering me a bigger picture to a life I've often felt adrift in, leading my writing to be more authentic in its approach.

Whenever I get stuck writing about something difficult from my past, I pull out this technique and it allows me to get past the fear of really looking at all aspects in order to better understand the moment, my own pain, and those around me.

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