Why Writings and Musings?

I wrote this post for the Elwood Writers blog in October 2021 – view here. The post is in answer to Helen McDonald’s questions to us about why we write our individual blogs, and who our intended audience is.

Why I Write my Blog

I set up the Writings and Musings blog because I wanted to have an online presence without being tied to the imperatives of the more ‘instantaneous’ or immediate social media platforms. 

The focus of my blog is primarily the craft of memoir. I am fascinated by how people write in general, whether it be fiction, poetry, screenwriting or song. My musings are personal reflections on writing, such as, ‘Putting the Me in Memoir’ and ‘The Interface between Memoir and Fiction’. I mix such thoughts with other items including,. ‘Where do you Write?’, ‘Going Away to Write’ and ‘The Car Park, which all touch on where and how one writes (the latter being about working outdoors during an interminable Melbourne lockdown).  

When my group Elwood Writers (EW) has a shared activity, such as a book launch, a soiree, or a radio presentation, I like to notify readers. 

The blog is intended for anyone who enjoys writing, and for people drawn to such themes as veterans of war, the relationship between fathers and daughters, and how to write about the ‘self’ – not always an easy task. Occasionally I have military folk visit my site. I am never sure if my point of view coincides with theirs. But no matter their views, I’d like to think that my posts are of help. 

More than anything, they are helpful to me. We are all surviving something, and writers are fortunate enough to be able to build worlds and stories based on experience and imaginings. Cunningly, as Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) has it, ‘life never works except in retrospect’. This is especially true for the memoirist. From my point of view, discussing ideas about writing allows discourse with the wider world – which in turn helps me collect my own thoughts as I go.

Besides, writing a blog is fun.