I don't know when we stopped understanding that writers create characters and stories that aren't necessarily about themselves. I think fiction eventually became reality and now, every poem, story, or metaphor started being treated as a personal confession.
As a writer, I can write about love while not being in love. I can write the saddest piece when I'm genuinely happy, and the happiest when life feels heavy. That's the beauty of writing, it allows me to imagine and create beyond my own experiences.
William Shakespeare wrote about murderers, kings, lovers, tyrants, and fools. No one assumed he had lived all those lives. Yet today, people read a figurative piece and immediately start asking personal questions about you instead of engaging with the message you are trying to put out. It's strange that this even has to be explained.
I learned that the hard way when I wrote a piece titled "Confessions of a Reformed Whore" 🤦🏾♂️ It was about salvation. 🙌😂
