Writing Naked

[Jude Hardin]

I can’t remember the exact age this happens--probably 3 or 4--but at some point we all become aware of our nakedness. It’s no longer all right to run around the house in our birthday suits. Mom and Dad aren’t allowed to give us a bath anymore. In our civilized world, we learn at a very young age to cover ourselves.

What does this have to do with writing fiction?

How much of yourself are you willing to show? Do your feelings about life, death, love, hate, jealousy, indifference, rage, honesty, courage, etc. end up on the page? How much of yourself do you put in you characters?

Do you hold back a bit, covering your naked soul with at least a fig leaf, or do you let it all hang out? Are you embarrassed for people to “see” you?

Or, can you dance like nobody’s watching?

[Charles A. King]

But what about chaffing from the chair??? I guess I could buy more towels-- oh, and
drapes. Sure, I'll give it a try.

[David Terrenoire]

Once, early on, a protagonist was speaking to his wife about being faithful for twelve years and she reminded him they'd been married for fifteen.

My wife read that passage and for a few days it was a little chilly in the house. She had counted backwards to a time in our own marriage that was rocky and she suspected I was writing from life, not my imagination. Fortunately, I convinced her it was fiction.

I try to be honest and if that means writing naked, then somebody pull the blinds.

[Jude Hardin]

Glad you convinced her, David. Good thing she didn't find any lipstick on your collar. ;)

Seriously, that's it. Being honest. Exactly.