Vicky Laveau Harvie won the 2019 Stella Prize for her memoir, The Erratics. The following year I heard her speak at the closing night of Adelaide Writers' Week. The Erratics is the story of the author's return to her native Canada where her mother has been hospitalized with a broken hip. As an inveterate liar, … Continue reading Memoir at Adelaide Writers Week
Category: Writing Memoir
Writing Friendship
Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) says that ‘life only makes sense in retrospect’. My story ‘For Jane’ began some years ago when I wanted to write about the endurance - or otherwise - of friendships. Author JG Ballard maintains that friends only become so when they have a secondary experience in common. We six friends shared our … Continue reading Writing Friendship
Anzac Day for Writers
Poet and novelist, Ocean Vuong, whose mother was a child of the Vietnam War, says that all literature is the history of war*. He need not be taken literally, although I tend to do so myself. More broadly, we may agree that literature relies on conflict or inner tension for its existence. Sometimes with resolution, … Continue reading Anzac Day for Writers
A Tribute to Jennifer Bryce
On 27 April, our friend and colleague Jennifer Bryce from my writing group died peacefully in Melbourne, farewelled by family and friends. Jenny and Barry Lee Thompson co-founded Elwood Writers in 2007. Helen McDonald and I both joined two years later. I have written previously, both on my blog and for the online US newsletter … Continue reading A Tribute to Jennifer Bryce
The Procrastination of Writers
I'm doing it now. Procrastinating, that is. I have my notebooks out, my laptop at the ready. I know what I have to do to dive into the next section of the short story. Instead, I'm doing a post - which I love - and reading about the latest election results here or overseas, and … Continue reading The Procrastination of Writers
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Writer*
Loneliness may be in vogue these days. In a rare interview given recently, actor Brad Pitt admitted to feeling lonely - ever since childhood it seems. If this is so, I wondered, what hope is there for the rest of us? The loneliness of the writer, though, has its own unique qualities; its benefits and … Continue reading The Loneliness of the Long Distance Writer*
The Zen of Writing
Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. Homer Simpson From what I've learned about Zen Buddhism (it’s been a long lockdown) it's incumbent on us as individuals to allow our feelings to be – whether they be negative or positive. We should welcome them, even unpleasant thoughts … Continue reading The Zen of Writing
What is a Favourite Story – of Yours?
The first of mine that comes to mind is ‘The Turf Club’. I had heard the story of my father drinking at a local pub since I was a girl But I wasn’t present at the event, so I had to rely on my imagination to structure it. I wrote it at Borgo San Fedele … Continue reading What is a Favourite Story – of Yours?
The Intimacy of Memoir
Author Lee Kofman says: ‘Memoirists write directly about what matters to them, whereas fiction writers may sublimate their experiences and passions.’ The first half is certainly true: memoirists are concerned with what matters to them. Whole books are devoted to the second part of Lee's hypothesis. But let’s look at memoir for a moment. Lately … Continue reading The Intimacy of Memoir
Writing or Penning?
Do people ask you how your writing is going? I’m sure we all get asked that. Who knows what the right answer is. One acquaintance of mine enquired further: ‘But are you penning or writing?’ he said. I didn't know the difference. ‘Well,’ he replied, ‘ Ch.(his partner) tells me she's been writing during the … Continue reading Writing or Penning?
WRITINGS AND MUSINGS OF MARGARET MCCAFFREY 