3 reasons not to fear your writing haunts
In graduate school, one of my writing workshop instructors waxed poetically about writing haunts every time she reviewed my work. I had several. My short stories often contained abused female characters trying to break free of their cultural or parental bindings.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://creativewritingcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/3-reasons-not-to-fear-your-writing-haunts_FB.jpg)
image by Stacia M. Fleegal
In retrospect, the reason my writing was haunted by these subjects is because they reflected my off-the-page life. Being aware of my self-reflectiveness is ultimately beneficial information; but at the time, all I saw was myself writing the same story over and over ad nauseum. I became bored by my own work and eager to write outside the ghostly box, rather than embrace it. Here’s what I learned:
Know thyself
Knowing your haunts is important. While you may not be writing through trauma as I was, your haunts can give you insight about yourself, your writing process and the story you are trying to tell. After all, a writing haunt is a topic you lean on often enough that were someone to read multiple pieces of your work, they would be able to identify the haunt as a theme of return.
Move past insecurity
While it is great to challenge your haunts, there is no need to avoid them. Haunts are often more than just themes of return. They can be passion subjects, ideas you are exploring subconsciously or areas of strength for your writing. In my case, it was all three. And when my haunts were exposed? I felt embarrassed. I did not like the idea that I was wrangling the same story over and over. I was spooked. My response was to write away from my haunts in an attempt to ditch them entirely. You might anticipate the result: I immediately began producing lots of sub-par work. Why?
Embrace your strengths
I was avoiding what I was good at; what I knew best. It’s okay to excel at writing on a specific topic as long as you are crafting fresh contexts for that topic. Consider the body of work by romance novelists. Many write serials relying on a time period, setting or characters. The same is true of Mystery, Science Fiction and Fantasy as genres. Poetry collections revolve around a theme or structure, among other options. Instead of forcing your hand, let new haunts develop naturally and, as they do, notice which ones are emerging with the most strength and skill. Stick with them!
Accepting that your writing features certain recurrent topics or emotional tensions, instead of resisting those elements, is, in essence, reframing the idea of a “haunt” as a theme or point of focus. And what writer won’t benefit from more focus?
What are your writing haunts, and how did you become aware of them?
Originally published by the Center for Creative Writing.
Hi LOVE YOUR POST MAN!!! LIKE MY POST TOO!!!!! HERE IS THE LINK: https://steemit.com/bots/@abusereports/last-minute-upvote-list-2018-05-02
I NEEDED THIS SO MUCH!!!
This is the best description of what I let happen to me. I start overthinking things like this or just a word or comment that someone says (and sometimes it isn't even that someone said it to or about ME/my writing/work) and yet I let it spook me!
My writing haunts:
*I REALLY enjoy reading 'cheesy' historical romance and time travel. I let the thought of getting it 'wrong' or making mistakes stop me from trying and I'm realizing right this very moment that I need to rethink that.
As always, you are making me think and really dig into my brain. Thank you!!!
Sounds as if my haunts are similar to yours. I do find I use writing as a way to work my way through the trauma's of my life.
Also, I am just coming to terms with accepting that I write what others have often enough deemed dark. Like you, moving away from that can feel forced and sub par.
I can’t help but write autobiographically, even when I’m trying to write fiction. It always circles back to particularly traumatic moments in my life, or some version of them. I notice that I only write from the perspective of female or gender fluid characters and that gender identity and sexual orientation often play a big role in my writing.
But all writers have that. I’m reminded of C.S. Lewis—one of the most famous fantasy novelists of all times—but in truth he was always a theologian and that’s why his writing was so religious even when the story didn’t even take place in a reality where Christianity existed.
Haunts have no effect on me any further. Hah! That's a lie but I have learned to embraced them as the skin I live in. I've come to understand that so much in life is all a matter of how you choose to perceive it, including my horrid dreams and flashbacks from unthinkable things.
For me it was embracing the real truth found in this verse.
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Congratulations, your post has been included in the latest Powa Moves curation post from @teamgirlpowa! 💖 Thanks for helping make our team so great.