MFA Lore

MFA Lore

Writer In the World

On Writing About Trauma

Do's and don'ts for writing when you're divided by conflict with your past

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Writer In The World
Jun 18, 2025
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Photo by Kahfiara Krisna on Unsplash

How far down the unlit hallway do I enter? Below are some of the loudest parts of me while writing about trauma.

Welcome to Writer In The World, a curated collection of essays on the writing life by acclaimed MFA faculty and alumni. This is the Wednesday section of Aimee Liu’s MFA Lore. Metaphortography, a quick dose of visual and literary inspiration, posts each Monday to launch your writing week. Writers in Conversation and other MFA Lore essays on the craft and business of creative writing will drop each Saturday.

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On writing about trauma: being split, being divided…*

by Randy Shinn

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