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- Nov 10, 2010
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I'm writing a memoir. My childhood bff "abandoned" me around puberty seemingly because I was gay.
It feels reasonably important, though definitely not THE most critical event of the story or anything. And I know it's probably less important to the overall story than my emotions make it out to be.
I'm struggling to find a creative way of approaching the story. I'm also struggling to navigate my emotions as I do have "dirt" on him that would be really embarrassing for him were I to include it, though it may be a stretch to reconcile its relevance.
I even have thought about assuming sort of a "meta" approach by writing about writing about him and navigating that thirst for revenge. Or an approach where it's as if I'm addressing him and not primarily the readers, but the readers are like the audience.
Anyway, I have lots of cute little memories about how close we were. Other memories of us getting into fun boyish/childhood trouble. Then I have pretty complete memories of a full scene at a dance with girls when I could start to sense my being gay was becoming a burden of sorts. Then of course I have complete memories of the last time we hung out and of the last time I saw him, when he essentially pretended not to know me.
I'm trying to come up with a good angle and sequence for this little story.
I'm struggling to identify and frame what I should pose as the conflict and the shift/change. Also, how I would build tension.
It's also hard to create a chain reaction or cause and effect when the ostensible cause of his abandonment (my sexual orientation) was there all along but only abruptly became a problem later on.
I could write about it very plainly. Or I could cut it from the story. But I'd really really like to just figure out a great angle or approach to it.
I feel kinda stuck in this zone where I just describe him in great detail then POOF, he disappears...and then I lament over it. I want it to have more action and more stakes and more fire.
It feels reasonably important, though definitely not THE most critical event of the story or anything. And I know it's probably less important to the overall story than my emotions make it out to be.
I'm struggling to find a creative way of approaching the story. I'm also struggling to navigate my emotions as I do have "dirt" on him that would be really embarrassing for him were I to include it, though it may be a stretch to reconcile its relevance.
I even have thought about assuming sort of a "meta" approach by writing about writing about him and navigating that thirst for revenge. Or an approach where it's as if I'm addressing him and not primarily the readers, but the readers are like the audience.
Anyway, I have lots of cute little memories about how close we were. Other memories of us getting into fun boyish/childhood trouble. Then I have pretty complete memories of a full scene at a dance with girls when I could start to sense my being gay was becoming a burden of sorts. Then of course I have complete memories of the last time we hung out and of the last time I saw him, when he essentially pretended not to know me.
I'm trying to come up with a good angle and sequence for this little story.
I'm struggling to identify and frame what I should pose as the conflict and the shift/change. Also, how I would build tension.
It's also hard to create a chain reaction or cause and effect when the ostensible cause of his abandonment (my sexual orientation) was there all along but only abruptly became a problem later on.
I could write about it very plainly. Or I could cut it from the story. But I'd really really like to just figure out a great angle or approach to it.
I feel kinda stuck in this zone where I just describe him in great detail then POOF, he disappears...and then I lament over it. I want it to have more action and more stakes and more fire.
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