Thoughts on Great Writers And What’s Appropriate to Share Online
I wrote this as a journal entry, and I thought my readers here might enjoy it. The tone might be a little different than what you’re used to here on the blog, but I hope you enjoy the thoughts. Share your comments and favorite authors and poets in the comments. (And if you are a writer or an Instagram poet, please share your information in the comments too, everyone who enjoys Bird’s Fairytales will also enjoy pouring over your work!)
Why don’t women go to the police?
An Article of Epic Honesty
Miranda of rootstories.co wrote an article recently discussing reasons women don’t go to the police after assaults. In the article, and in the prequel to the article she shared in an Instagram post, she shared her experience of uncertainty about the line between vulnerable sharing that helps others to not feel so alone during troubled times versus oversharing. She talked about the sterilization of deep feelings that happens to some degree for all online sharing and pondered the way her own vulnerability might be perceived as making an issue too much about her or focusing too strongly on her individual experience and inadvertently watering down the importance of an issue.
You can read Miranda’s full article on her substack here. Here’s the Instagram post where she shared some of her backstory behind this post, too.
Where is the line between creative integrity and oversharing?
I relate so much to her experience and to her debate of when sharing is too much – and the opposite guilt and grief that comes with failing to share while knowing it could really help people to know they aren’t alone in their experiences and big feelings. Miranda mentioned the urge to delete the post and shared in the article specific details she wanted to leave out for fear they were too shameful, too vulnerable, or just not okay for public sharing.
I felt grateful to read the words and appreciative of the art she created with her honesty, and I found myself rooting for the story to stay posted and live on, while also wishing I could wrap its author up in a protective hug and bubble far from anything the world might say to fuel the shame-spiral or vulnerability hangover I know, for me, would be just waiting for an excuse to unravel and envelop me.
Boyfriend Advice From Great Poets
…Or rather, an epic writer worthy of her readers’ trust
The poet Joy Sullivan shared an interesting piece of writing today as well. In response to requests for advice on coping with a breakup, Joy admitted she is the wrong person to be giving such advice, as she was struggling through a tough one herself.
She shared her main coping methods in a kind-toned blunt voice – the kind that always makes me feel safe and right at home because you can feel the genuinity of every word. Her self-criticized advice included sometimes getting high at parties and letting someone kiss her face and also looking at a horrible photograph of your ex until you “get the ick.”
The post struck the same chord for me as Miranda’s expression of shame in the face of vulnerability – another courageous admission of the unsterile reality of living as a human being. A reminder that most answers are neither right nor wrong and that nobody really has it figured out, and a humble offering of a glimpse inside their imperfect truths as reassurance to those who are wondering: no, you are not more fucked up than everyone else; yes, what you are experiencing is valid and within the normal range of the human experience; no, you’re not alone in this; if you’re crazy, then we’re crazy together.
Are all of the great writers long dead?
Integrity and courage — a willingness to be noticed in the raw are what make a literary masterpiece.
These courageous displays, willingness to be noticed in their raw forms and to immortalize a temporary feeling through publication gives me goosebumps. It reminds me of the first time I saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night. (Cliche, but true.)
It reminds me of reading Carl Marx and Ayn Rand in English 101, that sense of awe and a sort of devotion to the raw expression of a very intense and highly unpopular opinion. (Not that I necessarily agreed with the views of Ayn Rand or Carl Marx, but their courage to express and be noticed for their views on society and the clarity with which they articulated and stood behind the ideas… It’s an art and it’s inspiring and moving and powerful and gorgeous in its willingness to be ugly and still be seen.) People say the greats are all long gone, but I believe they are everywhere – in the courageous expressions of thoughts and feelings, of disagreements, of outrage, of disgust, of wonder, of gratitude.
In a world where people are “canceled” and there is so much awareness of what to be sensitive of, where the punishment for misstepping, overstepping, saying the wrong thing can be devastating, I believe some of the greatest writers are the ones who have the guts to share what’s real and raw as they learn – and who continue to show up and be a part of the world they were born into, even if they can’t be perfect. I am proud to be among these artists in my braver moments, and I am eternally grateful for the impact of their work and for the courage they lend me when I fall short.
Who are some epic modern writers you adore? Are you a poet or a writer of raw and vulnerable things? What do you think of the line between creative vulnerability and digital oversharing? Light up the comments and share your work and your favorites. We’d love to hear from you.
