I am currently revising a nonfiction book that I wrote last year. In one part of the book, I discuss ways of coping with haters (something I have a lot of experience with!). However, there was one thing that I wrote in that book that I was not sure about. I wasn't entirely sure if it was true or not. However, I wrote it because I just wanted to grab the first example I could think of and keep writing the first draft. Now here we are in revisions, and I'm more analytical about the book's content!
Here is the passage I was feeling iffy about:
"While recovering from alcoholism, I got wind that someone I know was saying that I never really got drunk because I only drank beer. I eventually understood that she was trying to turn it into a competition over what qualifies as a “real drunk” as a way to get me to fail in my attempts. It didn’t work; I stayed sober. I stayed on my path."
I was not 100% certain if this was true. Sure, I had a pretty strong hunch it was true, and I usually trust my gut! But because I didn't have actual proof that it was true and I had no statements from anyone who would actually know, it was not a good idea to use it. Even still, what if it was not true? Including it would be slander. I didn't identify that mysterious "someone" but chances are good their identity would be revealed and if I was wrong, that is slander, and they could sue me for that. So I decided that it was better to toss it.
I had a better example to use, anyway:
"As someone with burn scars on her face, I dealt with A LOT of bullying as a child. (I was in a car accident as a baby and that is why I am burned.) Even as an adult, I still got strange looks from people and was either avoided or treated badly and I often wondered if it was because of my appearance. However, when I was in my 30s, I made a promise to myself that I was not going to allow this to cause me to hide away from the world. My social anxiety is a daily battle and it’s worsened by the fear that people will judge me and treat me badly because of my scars. And every day, I have to look that fear in the eye and decide to go out into the world anyway! I refuse to live life hidden away in fear because of my scars. Life is too important and there is just so much out there to experience and enjoy. If people judge me or treat me badly because of my appearance, so be it. I will focus instead on people who can look past my scars and treat me like a person. Thankfully, there are people in my life who love, support and accept me despite my scars, and I focus my energy on them. Everybody else is just everybody else!"
But even with that revision, I have to find out if it was indeed a car accident. I have gotten conflicting accounts over what really happened on that day I was burned. So I need to even check that before releasing the manuscript.
And, yeah, everything else in the revised text is accurate and true. It's probably a better example, anyway. And thankfully, no one can sue me for saying it!
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