Being betrayed by someone you love is crippling.
I believe silence is betrayal and because of this, I know I was betrayed by my mother.
What about being the betrayer of someone you love? Could you?
I couldn’t.
Despite my suffering, I couldn’t betray my mother. I sacrificed my own self esteem, emotional wellbeing and happiness in upholding her choices and in so doing, denying my own integrity and authenticity.
Why?
- Because I loved my mother more than I loved myself.
- Because I was a child; my mother knew better than me
- No-one would believe me if I spoke out
- I was ashamed of my mother
- It wasn’t my secret to tell
- I didn’t want to hurt her
- I didn’t want to lose her love
- I was afraid
- I didn’t want to make her angry
- Betraying someone you love is something you never, ever do
***
Now to the writing:
Betrayal is a particularly effective emotion-filled type of conflict that can be used in fiction to create long-lasting problems for characters.
Betrayal can be slow and the betrayed may not notice or feel the effects until much later. Or betrayal may be a shock, the betrayed brought to a standstill while they recover from the betrayal. This may take time.
Betrayal in any guise by trusted friends and loved ones is confusing and disconcerting. It can cause physical, emotional, and mental stress. The betrayal can lead to irrational behaviour or send a character back into behaviour they thought they’d overcome.
Betrayal can be an instigator to all sorts of irrational acts, rage, accidents, revenge, self harm, unsafe behaviour.
A betrayed character may resort to drinking, drug use or any other addiction or the betrayal could send them back into behaviour they thought they’d overcome. Betrayal might lead to unsafe sexual behaviour or to rage or irrational acts.
It might lead to rage toward innocents or it could simply lead to inattention and accidents.
Betrayal could lead to revenge either accomplished in the next chapter or in the next book of a series.
The possibilities are endless.
Consider adding betrayal to your storyline and watch as a greater emotional depth to your writing ensues.
LIHazleton.
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