Comments on: Baring It All: Personal Essays Are Tough

By: Freelancedom » Blog Archive » The Vulnerability of Writers

Freelancedom » Blog Archive » The Vulnerability of Writers — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:42:38 +0000

[...] Baring it All: Personal Essays Are Tough Pass it [...]

By: Steph Auteri

Steph Auteri — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:23:29 +0000

Thank you for the kind words, Sharon, and welcome to the blog!

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:02:05 +0000

Hi Steph,
Thank you for this personal and generous essay. As a writer, I especially relate to the “pain” of baring it all, and also appreciate you sharing links to potential markets for our writing. I look forward to reading more of your blogs and writings!
Sharon

By: mary ulrich

mary ulrich — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:32:16 +0000

Enjoyed your post. I remember the first time my university prof. told us we would be drawing a nude model. I had been out of the convent for approx. 2 months! and didn’t know where to look. It took several classes for me to be able to calm myself enough to actually draw and not blush. The experience taught me a lot about being an objective observer, reification and all the things I needed to learn about drawing–actually a great analogy if you are reporting a news story.

Regarding a personal essay–drawing a nude would be a completely different experience from being the nude model–another great analogy. And again, I don’t know where to look.

My struggle is whether to make the personal essay, fiction or non-fiction. In some ways, I guess it could be comparable to the decision of an artist–charcoal? pastel? oil? realism? abstract? ….

The story is VERY personal and maybe the story is not meant to be repeated. Let someone else draw it, someone more objective, with more talent. But then, in my soul, I remember reading, “tell the story only you can tell”(Mary Piper, I think).

So, for the millionth time, I waffle. Fiction? Non-fiction? And I pray for courage, the divine inspiration, the push from my friends, “the nerve” to actually just write the damn thing.

By: Procrastination, Vol. I: Spicy baked camote fries with creamy cilantro dip « The Mija Chronicles

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:38:52 +0000

[...] I’ve been writing this personal essay, and it’s driving me crazy. I don’t know whether I’m being relevatory enough, funny enough, honest enough, or [...]

By: Steph Auteri

Steph Auteri — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:11:17 +0000

@Susan: Your experience makes me wish that there were more outlets for personal essays. By now, I’ve gotten into the habit of quickly repitching elsewhere if an idea is rejected but, with long-form essays, it’s becoming harder and harder to find an “elsewhere.” So I’m thrilled that Jenny’s updating her MB stuff (she sent out a message on UPOD, right?).

@Jesaka: *loved* this essay!

Thanks JR!

@Paul: Honestly, I can’t believe someone as neurotic as me was ever able to pose nude. I have *way* too many issues. That and sitting still for extended periods of time is hard as hell!

By: Paul Watson

Paul Watson — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:32:30 +0000

As someone who has (since the late 80s) been an artist drawing nude models (first at school, then at art college, then in my continuing artistic practice in the 17 years since finishing art college) I found your essay really interesting.

From an artist’s point of view, the focus is very much on the artwork (and it’s often an intense focus that can block out an awareness of everything else – at least for me) – and so sometimes it’s easy to forget that in the mind of the person across the room from you a whole range of other issues and thought-processes are going on completely separate from the concentration on line and shade that is occupying the artist’s mind.

By: Jesaka Long

Jesaka Long — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:09:43 +0000

Steph, the experience and advice you shared here is really relevant for writing personal essays. I took a personal essay writing class with Liza Monroy – and I’m still in touch with most of my fellow students because the work shared was so personal. The first few rounds of critiques were especially hard. Now I can’t imagine *not* getting a tough read on my personal essays.

Also, on a posing nude subject front, you might enjoy this essay by Kelly McMasters (another great Mediabistro instructor): http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/fashion/09love.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&position=%20

Do you think you’ll write more personal essays?

By: JR Moreau

JR Moreau — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:20:31 +0000

Loved the essay and this reaction piece to it. Great job Steph!

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:07:12 +0000

Steph, I know it’s tough to have your essay (your baby) ripped apart, but it turned out well, despite all the back and forth. The irony for me is that I got my essay ready to submit a few months ago and have heard nothing. Well, I got rejected by Modern Life, but it’s been silent otherwise. So I guess I could have written whatever I wanted about my subjects without getting their approval because it’s looking like it won’t be published. Well, maybe it will be right for an anthology or something in the future… Or maybe I’ll revist it with fresh eyes in a couple of years.

You’ll be pleased to know that Jenny Rough, who wrote the MB market guides to personal essays, is working on updating parts 1 and 2 and creating a part 3.

And if you have any curiosity whatsoever about other nude models, my writing instructor Kathy Rooney published a semi-autobiographical book called Live Nude Girl. She was an artists’ model at the MFA, among other places. I think she also taught at Emerson for a little while, so maybe you knew her, too?