Some folks get nervous writing about events that happened to or within their families, even when they fictionalize. They worry that family members will recognize themselves in their stories, or read something into the work that isn’t there. But, as Anne Lamott says, if people don’t want you to write about them, they should behave better in real life.
During an interview with Lit Hub‘s Otherppl podcast, Emmelie Prophète says you have to talk about people who influenced you, one way or the other. “When you write, you have to talk about people, family,” she says. “When you feel things, you have to talk about them. You have to share experiences and with good language, because language is the highest expression. If you have the language, the way to tell the story, you have to share the story. When the story is in you, you have to to bring it out and share it. Share the experience.”
