Initially, when I think of an unspoken story, I imagine a mystery novel that is impossible to follow and leaves you feeling more confused than ever. I also imagine gentle poetry written for a secret lover that no one would understand at first glance. For me, that would be ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns which at first was beyond difficult to decipher.
But upon reading people’s work, talking amongst my fellow authors and listening to the Unspoken Stories podcast (wink, wink, subtle promotion). I have come to a somewhat better understanding of the theme ‘unspoken’.
But upon reading people’s work, talking amongst my fellow authors and listening to the Unspoken Stories podcast (wink, wink, subtle promotion). I have come to a somewhat better understanding of the theme ‘unspoken’.
Unspoken stories are stories we otherwise would keep to ourselves, not ready to show to the ever judging public, stories we may keep close to our hearts for they are written from a personal experience. The theme of an unspoken story doesn’t have to follow the mystery route or a romantic poem, it can follow any genre you put your heart to.
What I learnt and saw was that this specific theme for the anthology allows people to come together who have an uncommon yet shared experience which in itself is beautiful and unique. It brings people together who otherwise would never have spoken or even known they share a similar interest or history.
Although, unspoken doesn’t necessarily mean unheard of. An unheard story has never been written before and isn’t implied in any kind of manner whereas unspoken may not be said in a straightforward manner but can be implied in many, many different ways. I personally find that an unspoken story is almost like a love letter, that might be the romance author in me, but truly, any story that I haven’t heard about before or haven’t read about is truly beautiful.
When I had learned what this theme meant, I quickly realised that most stories are unspoken, I myself have many hidden away in old note books and in the endless files of my Drive, and technically even those cringe Wattpad fanfics and stories we read as impressionable twelve year olds (don’t try to deny it, we’ve all been there) are unspoken.
Mental health was something I found was very helpful amongst authors who wrote from an anonymous stand point as it allowed them to freely speak of their personal and perhaps hidden mental health problems without fear of judgement from the people they know. I found this very moving and think it is another example of how beautiful the theme of unspoken stories actually is.
So, there it is, the theme of Unspoken Stories written by a procrastinating second year student who found this theme to be utterly confusing and complicated to understand. It has been a strange learning journey but I think/hoped I managed to convey what the theme of unspoken truly means. But then again, any unspoken story is one we haven’t heard before, right?
Phoebe Rogers
Phoebe Rogers (she/her) is a twenty-one second year student at York St John with a love for writing sloppy romance stories with twists of real life inspiring hidden amongst the pages.