Writing prompt #60: Inspired by THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE

Hi Everyone,

I read Bessel Van Der Kolk’s monumental work on trauma—THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE—when it was first published some years ago.

The phrase that has most stuck with me over the years is this:

The greatest source of our misery are the lies we tell ourselves.

This got me thinking a lot about how family myths (not to mention national mythologies!) are created. So many lies deeply invested with the desperation of what we can’t, or won’t, acknowledge.

YOUR PROMPT: Figure out the defining lie of the principal family you’re writing about. Who is most invested in the lie? Who is questioning it most dangerously? How much energy and violence is it taking to keep the lie going?

Give everyone at least a paragraph to describe the lie in their own way. Then bring the family together for some kind of reunion (wedding, funeral, etc). Carefully chronicle what happens when what isn’t said informs what is.

This is a tough one so be patient and give it some time to unfurl.

Good luck!

Abrazos,

Cristina