Why You Should Write about “Taboo” Topics
With curiosity and courage, you can bring the stories that improve people's lives.
In 2009, Seal Press published my memoir Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood—in part, it’s the story of how my beloved mother—a Brownie leader and carpool driver and burgeoning disabled rights activist--took her three children under the age of 10 and fled my abusive father to move in with a woman who became her girlfriend. However, the DSM had only lately removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses, and a homophobic psychologist and judge conspired to send us back to our father. Like so many other gay and lesbian parents in the 1970s and 80s, my mother came out and lost custody of her kids.
The editor of a prominent queer magazine reviewed Gringa favorably, writing, “Hart can bring the story that not many want to hear.”
Sixteen years later, we hear stories like mine all the time. What was once taboo is now both a crucial history lesson and a cautionary tale. But in the moment, I went on book tour full of fear and anxiety and anger and hope that my memoir—“the story that not many want to hear”—would find its readers.
It did. Readers wrote to thank me. They invited me to be a part of their documentaries and magazine and newspaper articles and research projects. The memoir opened so many doors for me—and it helped to pave the way for similar stories of families affected by homophobia and transphobia.
More recently, I tackled a lighter topic—the issue of what a pain in the ass it is for people with vulvas to pee outdoors. Specifically, I wrote this essay for The New York Times Magazine singing the praises of personal urinary devices such as the Pstyle, which allow us to discreetly pee standing up in a variety of settings without exposing our buttocks to the elements. Perhaps you’re out cross-country skiing. Perhaps you’re a long-haul truck driver or you’re working for the military. Perhaps, as in my house, you have one bathroom and a teenage daughter. Regardless, these devices are a blessing. Bonus: they come in so many fun colors!
But oh, I got some pushback…specifically from readers who didn’t think I should be writing about urination for The New York Times. Who knew peeing was taboo?
Still, I also received dozens and dozens of notes from readers thanking me for turning them on to a device they’d known nothing about. Best of all, though I didn’t name any products in my essay, the female owners of two small related companies wrote to tell me that—post-publication just before Christmas—their orders went through the roof!
Writing Prompt:
Make a list of the topics you could write about that feel taboo. Which of these strikes you as new, relevant to readers, and/or surprising? Why not dive in and tackle one of these topics with courage and curiosity?
Your story just might change lives for the better.
A Few Cool Resources for Writers
I glean so much wisdom from the Ted Radio Hour podcast. Here’s one episode in which author Kelly Corrigan’s tells us how to start writing in the new year.
I shared this article from BookFox, “Four Ways to Use Silence in Your Fiction,” with my MFA students who’ve applied these tips to science fiction, fantasy, young adult, mystery, thriller, and several other genres!
I’m a National Ski Patroller with septuagenarians who regularly ski and hike circles around me; it never occurred to me that someone in their 60s, 70s, 80s, or even 90s would balk at writing a first book because of their age. But if you’re older and need a little inspiration to write your novel or nonfiction, this article from The Ethel will help: “I Became a Debut Author at 69, and You Can, Too.”
This is a good time to plug Priscilla Long’s lifechanging book Dancing with the Muse in Old Age. Buy it for yourself or a friend. I got to interview Priscilla about her book for The Writer Magazine; read the piece here.
Practically every writer I know has a book coming out this June (I do, as well), and so I’m eager to share and to follow the wise advice in these two articles:
Camille T. Dungy, author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, writes about how she helped her publicist to get the word out about her book.
Literary Hub offers these tips to authors in “Ask the Publicists: What’s the One Thing I Can Do for My Book.”
Grants, Scholarships & Calls for Submissions
Feeling inspired to write about a taboo topic? Check out this list of publications that pay for personal essays!
Mark Ledley, Opinion editor at The Globe and Mail, looks for stories ranging from 700-word op-eds to 7,000 word reported essays. Pitch him at mmedley@globeandmail.com.
Hanna Raskin, founder of The Food Section—a daily newsletter covering culinary news and culture across the South—is looking for 1,200-word stories.
Here are writers’ guidelines; you can submit your pitch here.
The Barbara Deming Memorial Fund is awarding grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 to nonfiction writers and poets who use “feminism as their central interpretive lens.” Submit a grant application through the Fund’s Submittable page by January 31st.
Who doesn’t have a great dog story, or a story—say, about the crawdad that lives in my living room, in my teenager’s tank? The Chicken Soup for the Soul people are looking for stories about pets...every type of pet. Submissions due March 31st, 2025. Find all the submission details right here!
If you write and/or illustrate for children, check out the Highlights Foundation Scholarships. Deadline is mid-March.
January Interview
I have, over the years, worked as an independent book editor. I first met former editor and novelist Mimi Jones Hedwig when she sent me a draft of her historical mystery manuscript. I adored it. She spent another year working on the novel and began submitting it to agents and editors. Then, weary of playing the waiting game which can sometimes take years in traditional publishing, she started her own imprint.
She shares her insight into the process with StoryCellar readers, below.
Melissa: Why did you start your own publishing imprint?
Mimi: Publishing has changed since I was a young editor at Viking Press, combing the slush pile in the hope of finding a gem – a persistence that paid off when I discovered the bestseller Ordinary People, became its editor, and went on to a long editorial career before devoting myself fulltime to my writing. One major reason for this change in the industry is that, with the advent of the personal computer, everyone became able to produce a book, with the result that publishers closed their doors against the deluge, refusing unsolicited submissions. This made agents the sole gatekeepers, and they in turn were so overwhelmed with submissions that they became all but inaccessible to first-time authors. After spending a year getting nowhere with 85 queries for my current novel, I decided to publish my three novels and one memoir myself, under my imprint, Fieldwood Books.
Melissa: How does one go about starting a publishing imprint?
Mimi: There’s a ton of information and services available online. Sources I found most helpful were Jane Friedman’s self-publishing guide and David Wogahn’s thorough information on every aspect of self-publishing and marketing, available for free on his website. Among the most useful books I read on the subject were Dr. Jan Yager’s How to Self-Publish Your Book and Helen Sedwick’s Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook. Brooke Warner’s Green-Light Your Book encouraged me to view indie publishing as a legitimate entrepreneurial choice, not – as was the stigma in the past – as a last resort after failing to get a traditional deal. I want my books out in the world as soon as possible; in the best-case scenario, going the traditional route would take months or longer to get an agent, many more months for acceptance by a publisher, and then another year or two before release. With four books, I could be waiting for close to a decade to see them in print. Self-publishing will allow me to conceivably bring out two books a year -- and keep all of whatever profits they might earn. In addition, I’ll have full creative control over cover art and copy, interior design, and marketing materials. Yes, it requires a significant investment of money, time, and work, and yes, there’s a risk, but I’m psyched!
Melissa: How long has your writing group met, and when and where do you meet, and will you tell us a bit about your annual retreat?
Mimi: Our Radish Farm Writers’ Group (there’s a story behind that name!) meets every month in members’ homes. I’ve been a member for ten years, writing three books with the group’s support and honest, invaluable advice, and reading their work with the same care they give mine. We love our annual retreats, held at spectacular Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia. We hole up in our separate cabins for two days of writing, punctuated by reflective walks along the trails, and then get together in the evenings to cook and share a meal. Instead of having a regular critique session, we use our evening time to talk about our hopes and goals for our writing, successes, challenges faced, and group procedures we might want to modify. It’s a wonderful bonding experience, a great antidote to the loneliness and inevitable self-doubt of the writing life, and a reminder of the joys of our creative vocation.
Learn more about Mimi Jones Hedwig’s work at www.mfjoneswriter.com .
