Creative Nonfiction Prompt
Self-Erasure
By Joseph Holt
For writers of personal essays, the self is often the subject. Though we hope to arrive at larger, more worldly conclusions, we begin with what we know—our memories, our relationships, and our idiosyncratic views of the world. Therein lies a trap, however. Too often we center ourselves, believing that since we care so deeply about our subject (ourselves), so too will our readers. I’m afraid that’s not the case.
Let’s put it in another context. Say you’re on a plane, and your seatmate begins narrating their life story. Do you perk up with attention, or, politely nodding, search for the flight attendant to request another seat? My point being, no matter one’s generous humanity, we do not have unwavering tolerance for the narratives of strangers. We, writers, are strangers to our readers. They do not know what we know, and we must work to make them care. Here, then, is a prompt titled “Self-Erasure” I’ve given my nonfiction students: