I woke up on January 30, 2010, feeling like I need to write a book about a girl who was sexually abused in a non-violent way. I wanted to answer the question some people have of "Why didn't she just tell someone? Why didn't she make him stop?" I also wanted to give some peace to those who have had these experiences, blame themselves, and believe that they must have wanted it because their body responded.
Nine days after I started this new book, Oprah had a "Conversation with Child Molesters" on her show. I found out about this only this morning when I received a response from a therapist whom I'd asked for some insight into a child molester's motivation and thinking process. Among other resources, she directed me to the three-part video on Oprah's website.
I watched the entire interview today. It was very, very eerie how one of the stories resembles exactly the dynamic I'm trying to create with my characters. The similarity is such that people who have watched the show might think I'm ripping the whole thing off! (Or is that just my paranoia?)
I'm now reading through the comments section on the site where others are sharing their stories and revealing how much this show is helping them with their own recovery of abuse they've suffered. For some of them, what they learned from this show is life changing. It's the first time they really understand what happened to them and how very much it wasn't their fault.
This is exactly what I wanted to do with my book. Just now, I had this brief, silly thought that I don't need to write this now that Oprah's said exactly what I'm trying to say. But I do need to, of course. I mean, not everyone who needs to see this is going to do so. And different mediums are effective for different people in different ways. I'm really glad I watched this, though. It confirmed what I already knew about a certain type of abuser and helped me understand some of the things that I knew, but didn't know that I knew.