You Must Remember Every Scar

This post was first published in September 2011.

“The only requirement,” to be a writer, said Stephen King, “is the ability to remember every scar.”

Photo by AtomicJeep (Creative Commons)

I have a few scars (and you do, too). There's that girl in the eighth grade, my father's illness in the seventh, and there was that boy earlier than that who told me to shut up every time I spoke to him. When did I learn to fear my voice? The true writer enters into wounds. Sometimes she enters into her own, often into the wounds of others, and occasionally even into the wounds of people she makes up. The writer enters into wounds because she knows when she confronts the wound, she will discover the secret of life (wounds turn to beautiful scars). What wound do you need to confront?

PRACTICE

Tell the story of one of your scars. Here's fifteen minutes. You don't have to share this in the comments, but we would be honored if you did. Feel free to comment anonymously.

Joe Bunting

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Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris, a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

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