Author Essay: Writing DAMAGED

The idea for DAMAGED popped in my head one night after watching a documentary about teen-aged prostitutes struggling to survive in New York. I was totally empathetic to their unbelievable and horrific journeys. I began to wonder what life must have been like for them from the start and then I immediately thought about my own teen-aged sister and how revolted I’d be if she ever thought prostitution was a means to an end. Although I know many young women fall victim to prostitution, I wanted to tell the story of one young girl who finds a way to rise above her circumstance.

As I began to write, DAMAGED began taking many twists and turns that centered on more than just sexual abuse and sex for profit. Another subject began to take shape: the notion that many women knowingly share the same mate because of a so-called drought as it relates to “good available men.” I continued to develop the idea of man-sharing, and unearthed the polygamous practice of many non-American cultures, and then I explored the benefits and the disadvantages of such relationships. Many women knowingly share the same man, as do most prostitutes who share a pimp. Wife-in-Law is the term that these prostitutes refer to each other as if they’re family, not by blood but by chance. This unusual support system intrigued me, because they tended to rely on each other to get through their unbelievable lot in life.

Developing DAMAGED became a culmination of these storylines thrust against the backdrop of a vicious city. Camille, the main-character, had a difficult upbringing, and though she was a product of the social service system, she made choices she felt was necessary for her own survival, as many women do who do not believe there are other options in life. I hope that DAMAGED inspires people who come from adverse circumstances to push harder in life.