A Moment of Clarity...

#11 - Speak My Mind Freely:

An odd one, yes, but one that hopefully after this entry I can continue to execute without hesitation. (This is also fulfilling the request of a friend who told me to do something "nice" for myself, so writing immediately came to mind...since writing makes me feel just as free as when I listen to music or put my toes into sand.)

It has come to my attention that when I write, there are people who will disagree with my version of a story in my life. We all have stories that we want to share with the world...some recall more details than others. But that's just the thing, isn't it? Our stories revolve around how we interpret them, not what others tell us the story needs to be.

I'm sorry if people feel like I have slighted them by what I remember, but I'm not sorry for how I remember things. Sometimes I won't get every detail in. Maybe I forget to add a person in, maybe a minute description is left out. Whatever the case may be, I at least have ALWAYS tried to get the story as accurate as possible before I posted it for others. And most of these stories come from my journals, where obviously I wrote down as much as I could as close to that moment it happened. 

I've been censored before, told that what I wrote was wrong and it needed to be changed. And yes, it's been done by those people who are supposed to support me in anything I want to share. But no more. As a writer, I'm going to offend people (even if it's not my intention). I'm going to forget certain details (even if it's not my intention). The story will be my version, my interpretation of the moment as it happened. 

In the movie Big Fish, Ed Bloom would tell stories as naturally as it is to breathe. He thrived on weaving such intricate and graphic stories not because that's the exact portrayal, but rather because he told stories the way he wanted to remember them. 

I don't go telling you how to tell your stories in your life--they are yours and yours alone. I want you to remember them the way that YOU remember them, just as I choose to remember mine. 

~ Jenn