Creative Writing and the Experiences of Others: Strategies for Outsiders

Writing classrooms are grappling with the challenges of writing about experiences outside one's own, exploring the act of witnessing and the ethical responsibilities of writing about others. This book seeks to answer questions about how to write in order to watch, understand, never look away, and never forget, while cultivating a condition of critical empathy that doesn't lead to creative paralysis.

Format: Hardback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 28 May 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Writing classrooms across the world are grappling with the complex manifestations of identity politics, as authors navigate the challenges of writing about experiences outside their own. This book explores writing as a form of witnessing, where the writers themselves were not present to witness in person. It seeks to address the questions that arise from these experiences, such as what it means to write "to watch," "to try and understand," "to never look away," and "to never forget" when the writer is an outsider to an experience. Additionally, it explores the ethical and responsible ways to write about others, avoiding essentialization and sensationalization while cultivating a condition of critical empathy that does not lead to creative paralysis. The book encourages writers to engage in a constant (re)negotiation with their own positioning, seeking to cultivate a sense of critical empathy that allows them to bear witness through the written word while navigating the complexities of identity politics.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032688701