Writing from the Wound: Leaving Room for Raw Urgency

By Molly Akin

The advice is passed down like scripture: write from the scar, not the wound. Let the trauma settle before you place it on the page.

What happens, however, when we consider an alternative? What if dipping into the well of our wounds––before they are healed, or even scabbed over––could be generative, curative, honest?

As much as it is a comfort to imagine, there isn’t a future where the experiences that make up a life can be held at true distance. Death, illness, and oth...