I have been struggling with writing complete stories lately. It seems my creative non-fiction has been a struggle, so I am going to switch back to writing fiction for a while. The struggle seems to be that release of information necessary in order to tell the truth without causing harm to yourself or to others. How much of your own truth can you tell without causing ripples within the family and friends? Not that I have any skeletons in the closet that need hiding, but every family has those scenarios that are left behind to heal over. Divorces, marriages, abortions, adoptions, suicide, criminal activity, addiction problems, parenting problems, financial problems; every family has these difficulties. Some of these life challenges are embarrassing to families, some are not so much. However, when a person has overcome obstacles and challenges to come out stronger, the story can encourage others that the struggles they face can be overcome.
Fiction is much easier because it hides the truth within fictional characters and allows the freedoms of creativity and structure of characters, place and time like no non-fiction story can accomplish. Structure and form are still important, but can be stretched and changed to meet the imagination of the writer. I have been reading Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury lately. This might be why my non-fiction has been difficult to write. My mind tends to follow the same thought patterns of what I am reading. When I read auto-biographies and other non-fiction, I tend to lean toward journal writing and self-discovery in my writing. If other writers have struggled with switching between genres, please comment from your experiences.
Tomorrow, I will read poetry and pen a sonnet or so.
sherrystruthtofiction 