How can writers and the media get the story of physical and emotional abuse right? We’ve come a long way from Carousel in 1956, where Billy and Julie’s daughter asks, “Has it ever happened to you? Has anyone ever hit you – without hurtin’?” Julie answers, “It is possible, dear, for someone to hit you – hit you hard – and not hurt at all”, thereby teaching her daughter that abuse is a form of love.
So first, we write respectfully and authentically. Harmful, misleading, inaccurate, and salacious depictions of domestic violence must end. Assuming our cloak of responsibility does not mean we must forego a spellbinding, and engrossing story that stays in readers’ minds long after the final page is finished.
