I revised that chapter to say that “the adults around me” were really to blame. In the ‘warts and all’ vomit draft version, a relative makes a comment on my butt when I'm seven, and it completely traumatizes me. SARI: There's a piece in the book about my struggle with body image and weight and eating disorders. KARIN: Can you give an example of how you handled some of the more incendiary material? There’s just something about needing to own my personal story. For me to then have to hide behind a pseudonym and build that pseudonym’s platform… I wasn't up for that. One is that I would be really pissed off I have spent more than 30 years building my platform. There were a few reasons I didn't publish under that name. But I want to do those things because I want to play God with characters who do interesting things, not because I want to write a story about my relationship with people in my life in a way that they will not recognize themselves, because that's impossible. I have an idea for a novel and a list of ideas for short stories. SARI: You should write fiction because you're interested in fiction and the art and mechanics of it, not because you're trying to avoid getting in trouble for writing about your life. Given how challenging these lines are for you, did you ever consider fictionalizing your story? KARIN: The ethics of memoir are deeply personal. I showed the people I care about the pieces they were in, and said, Is this okay with you? How do you want me to refer to you? Do you want me to change your name? I tended to only change your name if you were a jerk. I really did my best to make it so that if one of these awful people who I dated read it, they'd know it was them but nobody else would know unless they already knew the story. I changed so many identifying characteristics. ![]() KARIN: Do you feel like these changes diluted the story at all? So, I went back and scrubbed it of any unnecessary, inflammatory details. It's going to be 2022. And she said, Fine. I said, I'm not going to get to publish my book in 2021. I’ve got to do another level of extraction. That book was edited.Īnd then I went back to my editor, and I said, You know what? I have to do that again. And then once it was out of my body, out of my head on the page, only then could I blur, subtract and edit. SARI BOTTON: When it came time to actually write my book, I realized I needed to first write a vomit draft, what I call a ‘warts and all’ vomit draft with everything in it. How did you handle this issue with your memoir And You May Find Yourself? Contributions for the charitable purposes of The Rumpus must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.KARIN GUTMAN: You’ve written about how you’ve navigated writing about other people, as well as interviewing authors about this thorny topic in your Rumpus column Conversations with Writers Braver Than Me. The Rumpus is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. And join us by becoming a monthly or yearly Member.Įach of these subscription programs along with tax-deductible donations made to The Rumpus through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, helps keep u s going and brings us closer to sustainability. Subscribe to the Rumpus Book Clubs (poetry, prose, or both) and Letters in the Mail from authors. We believe that literature builds community-and if reading The Rumpus makes you feel more connected, please show your support! Get your Rumpus merch in our online store. We lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers readers already know and love. Our mostly volunteer-run magazine strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. Founded in 2009, The Rumpus is one of the longest running independent online literary and culture magazines.
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