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Joshua T. Crowley

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September 2019

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What piece of advice would you give to other child abuse survivors who are considering writing of their experiences but don't know how to begin?

Joshua T. Crowley Great question, Olivia. First the caveat that though I survived abuse in my past and wrote a book about it, neither of those qualify me as an expert i…moreGreat question, Olivia. First the caveat that though I survived abuse in my past and wrote a book about it, neither of those qualify me as an expert in either field. I can only speak from my own experiences.

Wanting to publish a work about abuse depends largely on how much a writer is comfortable with opening up to a worldwide public audience and what sort of backlash that may bring. I wanted to proudly publish my book under my own name with nothing to hide, but in my particular case, my family was deeply concerned about their privacy. I made the difficult decision to publish under a pen name out of respect for their concerns. Other people may have other concerns. Abuse may not have been known at the time so a book may be very revelatory. I'd encourage anyone writing about real people and abuses to do their due diligence on the legal front. Authors can choose to change names and locations or they can seek releases from all parties.

As past abuse is very personal and traumatic, I'd suggest speaking with a professional therapist or a very intuitive and trusted friend to get started. This can help focus and vocalize thoughts and emotions. Nearly ten years ago, I visited a counselor because I was feeling defeated and alone in life despite having amazing friends, great family, and a wonderful job. After working to get at the heart of the depression, the topic of my father and the abuse came up and it cracked open a floodgate of repressed anger at his actions against me and my siblings. She suggested I start writing. I did. It was very personal writing that I shared with very few people until, at some point, I realized that others might benefit from my experiences. Then it was more about editing and less about writing. I'd already exorcised the emotions I needed to during the writing phase and felt good about it.

Regardless of why a person is writing, I think it's important to write openly and honestly. Write as if no one else will ever read. It's incredibly therapeutic. It's basically journaling for adults. When the swirl of emotions has been put down on paper somewhere, the author can then decide if the writing was helpful to them in coping with the distress of past abuse and if they care to share it with anyone else.

If publishing is the goal, I'd suggest trusting everything to paper, then taking a step back. I'm positive that a narrative will reveal itself if that's the author's intent and from that point on, it's just sorting things into chapters to tell a story. The editing process felt daunting to me at times - What do I leave in? What will family think? It's taking longer to edit than it did to write - but to hear one single person tell you that sharing your experiences helped them is very much worth it.

I hope this had a few points to consider. Thanks for asking and if you have one to share, I hope to read your tale of strength and survival some day soon, Olivia!(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Joshua T. Crowley Know why you're writing and give yourself a time frame in which to complete your writing. If you're writing for yourself, time is irrelevant and there…moreKnow why you're writing and give yourself a time frame in which to complete your writing. If you're writing for yourself, time is irrelevant and there are no rules Just write and enjoy yourself. Let your characters and plots meander where they will and revel in the power of your subconscious to guide your outcome.

If you're writing for publication and/or you have a timeline, don't be afraid to have a plan. Be a plotter, at least a little. Planning doesn't take any spontaneity out of your writing, but it gives you a framework around which to make fun discoveries that will require much less total rework. Think of it this way:

If you only have a week for vacation and you want to take a road trip to a specific location, at least have a rough idea of how much gas you'll need, where you'll stay along the way, and places you'd like to visit. Guaranteed you'll still have unexpected adventures as you travel and you'll have to improvise and adapt your plan, but you'll know where you can give and take to get to your destination on time. Did your planned route take you to the most amazing doughnut shop you never knew existed? Or perhaps stumble you upon an undiscovered cave of ancient alien mysteries? Explore them! Massage your spontaneity back into your plan. You'll know how your side excursions will affect the rest of your trip. Maybe the doughnut shop doesn't have a big impact on reaching your destination, but it added so much flavor to the whole trip, but the alien cave-hole is so amazing, you ditch the trip altogether and create an entirely new plan. It's all good because it's all knowledge of what you're working toward.

Outside of a little plotting that allows for much pantsing, I also advocate showing your work early and showing often. Again, depending on your goal for your writing, this may be important. If you're writing for yourself or purely artistic purposes, don't worry about sharing your work until you think you're done. If you're hoping to publish your book and want your demographic to enjoy it, I cannot emphasize the importance of having at least three trusted alpha readers on call to give you chapter by chapter thoughts. There are pages that can be written on how to take constructive criticism as an author, but I will summarize by suggesting that a writer learn to listen to both internal and external voices in regard to their work if they wish to publish (even indie publishers!)

Finally, before querying your manuscript or hitting 'Publish' on Amazon, read your entire book aloud. You'll find grammatical errors and typos you missed while silently reading and you'll be able to smooth out clunky phrasing or dialogue that sounds unnatural.(less)

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