I have a question for any of you out there that are writers. Do you ever read something and then not be able to stop yourself from writing in a style similar to the author that you are currently reading?

I just read Let’s Pretend this Never Happened, and am currently reading Furiously Happy, both by Jenny Lawson. Jenny is a blogger who writes about her life in an honest but humorous way and her books continue in that style.

I woke up the other morning, my brain in full on writing mode. It seems I was writing a passage for my book, only problem is that I’m not sure the voice that I was writing in will fit the tone of the book. It was coming out in a semi sarcastic humorous tone…thanks Jenny. Does this happen to anyone else? Like it’s this just a me thing? An autism thing? Or, like an everybody thing?

I’m going to include what I wrote below because I don’t think I’ll be able to use it in the book (and if I do, you get a freebie). I’d like your opinion? Is this too…I don’t know sarcastic/humorous as compared to any of my writing that you have read (if you have read any)? Would it stand out and/or be distracting if it is?

Trigger warning… The topic is sexual abuse, though no abuse is described, only alluded to. I apologize in advance for the many, many times I use the word molested or any of it’s derivatives🤷

“There has been some controversy around whether or not I may or may not have been molested as a child, and by controversy, I mean that I am the only person who doubts it.. Ok, so here’s the rundown..my subconscious started knocking when I was in my earlyish twenties and was like, hey, guess what? You were molested when you were little and I was like, what? No. No, I was not. That’s not possible. Who could possibility have molested me? And my subconscious was like, grandpa and uncle (insert name here), and I was all like ok, no, that’s crazy, and stopped thinking about it until about a decade later my subconscious again started knocking. Knock knock knock, hello, you were molested.

At that point I started asking questions and turns out that both my grandpa and uncle are confirmed child molesters. How did I know? Is my intuition so good that I just picked up on the molesty vibes? Perhaps I overheard someone talking about it (even though my mom didn’t even know until after my subconscious began angrily knocking)? Or, is it like everyone in the family except for myself accepts, and I actually was molested as a child, likely by both my grandpa and my uncle? Who knows ? I’m really not sure even though, again, I seem to be the only one who isn’t.

Even as my family members call me crazy and scapegoat me, placing the responsibility for any family dysfunction squarely on the shoulders of myself (and my sister for daring to support the molestees as opposed to the molesters), they’re all yeah, of course you were molested but aren’t you over that yet? It’s not like anyone has apologized or even acknowledged the pain this may have caused you in any way but damn, go read a Bible or pray or something (look, look, look at that molester praying away, and they pat him on the back lovingly before turning to glare in my direction).”