Express Yourself
Want to Write About Your Life? Start Here.
Your story doesn’t have to save the world — it just has to be honest
Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth.
Have a question? Share it with us.
Dear Draft,
Sixteen years ago, I left our family funeral business to come out to California to get sober. I witnessed my first embalming at 12. Believe me, it wasn’t by choice. What resulted was over 20 years of mayhem and chaos — everything from burying mobsters to my conversations with Norman Vincent Peale, who came by every so often to pay his respects to someone he might have known. Having been abused every way you could, being addicted to drugs, and having death follow me around all the time was not a very fun experience. I am 51 today, and I have a lot to say that might help someone, but I don’t know how to get it all out there. Where do I start?
Signed,
Digging My Way Out
Dear Digging,
Start by refusing to put so much pressure on yourself. No one is going to stop getting blitzed or shooting…
