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Episode 58: Sarah Saffian -- The Politics of Writing About Loved Ones

Episode 58: Sarah Saffian -- The Politics of Writing About Loved Ones

FromThe Writing University Podcast


Episode 58: Sarah Saffian -- The Politics of Writing About Loved Ones

FromThe Writing University Podcast

ratings:
Length:
55 minutes
Released:
Jul 21, 2014
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

A novelist has it easy—his characters, sprung from his imagination, don’t talk back when they’re not happy with the way they’re depicted on the page. But what if your character is your ex-husband, your twin brother, your mother? Are familial loyalty and literary integrity necessarily at odds? How can we most effectively navigate this touchy terrain, to maintain our real-life relationships without compromising the stories we need to tell? In this lecture/ discussion, we’ll grapple with such prickly issues as: the possibility of multiple “truths”; altering identifying characteristics; inviting loved ones into your writing process (or not); the pros and cons of allowing relatives to read your manuscript, and how much to revise per their comments, if at all; determining if what could hurt others truly advances the story. Whether you’re in the midst of a memoir project or are just contemplating one and scared off by this very conflict, let’s explore forms of expression that we can stand behind both as authors and as brothers/ daughters/friends.
Released:
Jul 21, 2014
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

The Writing University podcast features recordings of illuminative craft talks from the renown writers, novelists, poets, and essayists who present at the Eleventh Hour Lecture Series during the University of Iowa's Iowa Summer Writing Festival.