Monday night I spent nearly four hours in the car to attend a reading by Mormon women writers. Some of these women were new to me, some of them were my heroes, and I got to sit and listen to the words that belied the most tender feelings of their hearts.
Joanna Brooks, that smoking brunette in the front row, said that she was sick of books like The 19th Wife, or tales told as some sort of outside expose. We LDS women have a story. And we deserve to tell it ourselves.
When she said that, I felt pierced right to the heart. It’s no secret that I’ve long longed to write a book. That’s what got me blogging in the first place. It’s on my big crafty to do list. When she said, “It’s time.” it felt like she was speaking directly to me.
Here’s the thing. The book I want to write is a memoir. About my childhood. And I think that many family members would take exception to it, even if every word was documented fact. It’s a tricky issue – respecting privacy, even just not wanting to deal with any fallout – while still being honest about what happened and true to what I feel called to create. I have no idea how to deal with it, so I usually just don’t.
I don’t know. But I’m worrying at least four steps ahead of where I am. I should probably write the thing before I give myself an ulcer over how people would react to it.
I also got to meet up with a couple bloggy friends. Hi Lauren and Hannah! You guys made my night.
The reading was such an amazing experience. Inspiring, uniting as a community of sisters, it gave me so much hope to carry on when I feel like a square peg in a round hole. The tour has three more stops, all in Utah now, Thursday in Cedar City, Friday in Orem, and Saturday in Salt Lake. More info can be found here.