Fake: A Case Study for Brave Women Writers

Have you watched the Paramount Plus TV series Fake yet? It stars Australian actors Asher Keddie and David Wenham and is based on the true story and best-selling book by Stephanie Wood. It’s being touted as one of the best Australian dramas of the decade.

My partner and I binge-watched it by the fire over three consecutive nights this week. (What else does one do in this cold, wet Melbourne winter?) I’ve now ordered the book, which I’ll devour in no time when it arrives.

Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie) is the protagonist, a food writer who meets the charming and deceptive Joe Burt (David Wenham) on a dating app. What unfolds is a slow and bone-chilling realisation for Birdie that Joe is not the man he claims to be.

Keddie’s performance is outstanding. The anguish and pain she conveys as she dives headlong into a relationship she knows is damaging but can’t extract herself from, elicits genuine empathy in the viewer. I think it’s because so many women have been in her shoes, in some way, at some time, in their life. And that’s what makes Fake such compelling viewing.

It’s a fascinating story?and a brilliant case study for women writers trying to find their voice and write brave stories.

Here’s why…

Brave acts most often precede brave words.

Birdie is an anxious woman who is relatively happy with her life, yet feels the pressure to conform in a society that values coupledom over being single. She is open to finding love, so takes the brave act of putting herself out there on a dating app hoping to meet ‘the one’. If you’ve ever been on a dating app, you’ll know just how much courage it takes. If she’d not done this, there’d be no story.

Vulnerability is an essential trait for storytellers.

From the first date, Birdie’s gut instinct is to run and not look back. However, she ignores her instincts and remains open and vulnerable to the idea of love and a life partnership with Joe. I’ve been there twice before, albeit not in quite the same dramatic way. Unstuck in Provence or Brave Women Write would not have been written, if I hadn’t. Vulnerability is essential for brave writing.

While the story is personal, the impact is universal.

The personal purpose for writing our stories is for healing. The universal purpose is for impact, justice, or equality. Stephanie Wood has shared in interviews that thousands of women (and some men) have contacted her with similar stories of deceit. That’s how movements like #MeToo begin and it’s how we help other women avoid men like Joe. Writing for a purpose beyond ourselves, gets us to the finish line faster.

Fake is a fabulous story to study for women writers. If you’ve watched Fake or read the book, I’d love to hear your thoughts, its impact on you and if it’s inspired your writing.

We’ll discuss Fake at dinner next Tuesday 23 July. Tickets are still available!

BOOK HERE

With love

Carolyn?

Find your Voice. Free the Writer Within. Write in a Safe & Brave Space with Other Women.

G’day! I’m Carolyn Tate and I’m on a mission to write the stories that move us to remake our world — for women and Mother Earth. Alongside writing, I teach and mentor women to unleash their voice and?write stories of purpose, justice, and equality.

Are you a woman who yearns to share your story with the world but don’t quite know where to start? Do you often suppress your inner voice, waiting for that perfect day to write? Or perhaps you’ve begun writing and are feeling stuck?

Here’s how I help:

Brave Women Write Book:?Order Here

Brave Women Write Monthly Dinners | Clifton Hill, Melbourne:?Book Here

Brave Women Writers’ Circle | 8-week Zoom Program:?Book Here

Private Mentoring Over 90 Days for Emerging Authors:?Read More

Brave Women Write Together & Sacred Fire Circle | Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria:?Book Here