What I Think of the Fact That You Keep Asking Me What My Family Thinks of My Writing
When men create characters based on themselves, they are innovative; when women do it, they’re shaming their families.
Has anyone gotten mad at you over what you’ve written about them?
But I wondered if you worried about how they would feel about being written about? Did you check with folks, or change names?
When you’re writing about a subject that is going to make someone else worried or upset do you reach out to them first? Do you just let the essay fly and wait for the fallout?
When you’re writing about masturbating, having an orgy, trying heroin, or pretending the guy you’re having sex with is James Frey, how do you get to that place of complete honesty? Were you worried about what your family would think?
Do you regret anything you’ve written?

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I hope you keep writing your hopes, dreams, and fears. Maybe you’ll even write a book one day!
Chloe Caldwell is the author of The Red Zone: A Love Story, the critically acclaimed novella WOMEN and essay collections I'll Tell You in Person and Legs Get Led Astray. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, The Cut, Longreads, Nylon, Buzzfeed, and more. She lives in Hudson, NY.
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