Heretic Bonus: Writing Generously

Why I write redeemable characters

Part of the business of being an artist is wishful thinking. As a writer, I have to pitch stories and interviews I don’t feel qualified to write and apply for residencies and fellowships I’m sure I’ll never get. But every once in a while, you surprise yourself. Finding out I was selected to be a 2022 Jack Straw Writer was one of those moments. I feel so lucky I got to be in a cohort of such astonishing writers and work with the wonderful poet and editor, Michael Schmeltzer, on a year-long memoir project.

Public reading and podcasting is one facet of the Jack Straw program, and I was delighted to sit down with Michael to talk craft. He pushed me to think about what I want people to take away from my work, and what I came up with was this: everyone is redeemable.

It strikes me now how Christian that feels, even as that label still makes me wince. Surely there are many bad actors parading that label around as a justification for their prejudices and quest for domination (I always think of C.S. Lewis writing that the real sin of “taking the Lord’s name in vain” were the politicians who marketed themselves as the “Christian” choice.) Despite all that, I do believe that the central tenet of Christianity is this idea of redemption. I want to write into that reality.

If you want to hear about that or get a sneak preview of my memoir project (including my bad impression of an attempted seduction between two elderly people at a hotel breakfast buffet) then give it a listen.