Revenge in writing
I was flicking through an old copy of my local paper when an article caught my eye. They were looking for submissions for a writing competition on the theme of “anniversary” to tie in with the Queens Jubilee celebrations. One drawback – the deadline was that day! Immediately, an idea came to mind. I’d been focusing on the use of both flashback and the “twist in the tale” for my university studies, and had an idea for a story. What if I used these techniques, and my experience of domestic violence, for the piece? Here was a chance for me to take what had happened to me, and use fiction to draw it to an extreme, but satisfying, conclusion.
The idea was born; a woman, seemingly celebrating a joyful occasion, apparently waiting for her husband to return from work. She prepares a special meal, dresses to impress, and waits … but she is not, in fact, waiting for her husband to arrive. Through the use of flashback, we find she was in a very controlling, violent relationship.
The man, who, at first, seemed the answer to her dreams, and her knight in shining armour, turns out to be the stuff of nightmares. We learn at the very end of the story that she is marking ten years since his passing in what could be seen as both a tragic accident and, for her, a release from an abusive relationship. She had pushed him away with the last of her strength as he had been attempting to strangle her, and as he righted himself he fell backwards, catching his head on the fireplace and suffering a fatal haemorrhage as a result. This wasn’t, of course, how the real story ended – the real ending was pretty dramatic, but that’s another story…
When writing the piece, there was a huge element of my real life doomed relationship in it. The characters in it were my partner and I; the way they met was an almost exact mirror. How the protagonist was treated was (in my opinion) exactly how it was. But in the fictional account, the “baddy” of the piece got their comeuppance. Justice, in some way, was served. Maybe more karma than justice. The female character, at the end of the story, was at peace. She got her “happy ever after”. Life doesn’t always give us that. Through our writing, we have not only a means of catharsis, but a way to bring some sort of resolution to those unfinished stories in our real lives. We can move on.
The Queens jubilee came and went. I heard nothing. I was a little disappointed, but not overly so. The piece had been written in the space of one evening. It was, to my mind, not well honed, more like a coal in the process of possibly becoming a diamond. I also thought maybe the topic was a tad dark; not something that one might associate with celebration. Some months later, I was very surprised to receive an email from the paper.
For whatever reason, they had not been able to coincide the competition with the jubilee celebrations, and instead were going to announce the winner later in the year to tie in with a local literary festival. My piece had won! I ended up having a short piece on myself in the paper, along with the story itself being printed.
Anyone who has been in a situation of domestic violence will know how it can slowly and surely destroy any confidence you have in yourself. You are treated as if you are worth nothing, and in time, that is how you feel about yourself.
Having my story printed gave me a huge confidence boost. I even sent it to my ex- partner. If he realised (and I cannot see how he would fail to do so) that it was based on my life with him, he did not say so. He congratulated me and said I should be proud of all I had achieved. That was the nearest to an apology I ever got. It was good enough for me.
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Wendy Evans is 43 year old mum of four and recently graduated as a mature student from Plymouth University, UK, with a BA in English and Creative Writing. She’s had her work published in the Plymouth Herald, including her short story, and an article on “Claire’s Law”, a piece of legislation that allows women to contact the police and find out if their partner has ever been convicted of domestic violence.
Follow her on twitter @wevanswrites
Category: Being a Writer, Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing
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I suffered violence thru childhood & two marriages. I wrote about it in grad school using various genres, making my fellow students cry as they listened. My professor wants me to revise and continue writing and put them in a book. I am glad when people are able to escape and become survivors. I am glad you were able to help lawmakers write a law that helps women.
Thank you so much for sharing your bravery with us. I agree with the commenter who said abuse can happen to anybody. There are no shields from it and it can take years to rebuild yourself and understand just how much was lost. Your family is so lucky to have you and I hope you keep writing.
My sister had been in an abusive marriage/relationship for eighteen years. Her marriage involved mental abuse and subtle emotional manipulations which took its toll on her. We as a family were oblivious to any of it. When we learned of the years of infidelity on his part and various other lies, we were shocked even more. The man who I’d accepted as my only brother had lied and had painted a very different picture of who he actually was. My sister filed for divorce. What ensued was two solid years of torture and torment from a manipulative, narcissistic madman. He followed her, physically intimidated her, and tracked her every move. I was terrified he’d eventually kill her. She came out all right, thankfully. It was an awful experience and so unbeliveable that I, too, wrote a book about it. His end in my book was my therapy for the years of deception and for the pain I watched my sister live. Revenge is sweet. Congratulations on making lemonade of your lemons. I wish you a most successful journey into the publishing world. Sharing your story will surely save someone’s life and motivate others to leave a bad situation before it gets worse.
I wrote a novella called Murder Maker after I’d been dumped, about a woman who becomes a serial killer after she’s been cruelly rejected. The whole book is told to her ex, who was based on my ex, and we know he’s going to be a victim by the end. My ex saw it in a book shop and bought it! Fantastic revenge!
Really great post, Wendy! Thank you for sharing it.
Congratulations on your publication, your graduation and the incredible strength you must possess to have taken charge of your life in such a way. I’m sure you are a powerful role model for your children. In the vein of thinking that everything happens for a reason, I imagine there are people you have reached with your story that you are not even aware of. I hope you feel great pride in what you have accomplished.
Congratulations on your win and on pulling out of a bad situation. You have an inspiring story to relate and I hope we’ll hear more from you.
Your story resonated. Many women feel, “oh, that could never be me.” But women of all echelons, all walks of life can be caught int this trap of domestic violence. Many years ago I found myself laying on the floor, my arms pinned and an angry boyfriend holding a lit cigarette an inch from my eye and screaming that I could never leave him. I’d never been in an abusive situation and wasn’t sure what to do. I just knew doing nothing was not an option. I got clear of him (32 restraining orders later) and ultimately ended up in a position of raising funds for a charity that helps battered women and children. Stories like yours help spread awareness. And there is nothing like winning a contest for something you, and you alone created to bolster confidence. Congrats!