I was half way through my MA thesis, or so I thought, when the teacher asked: “Margaret, what is your plumbline?” I had no idea - a) what my plumbline was, or b) what a plumbline was. I knew I wanted to write about the torn relationship I had with my father who’d died in … Continue reading Plumbline
Category: writing process
Making a Scene
‘Keep the drama on the page.' So says Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way. In other words, make your writing dramatic, not your life. (Well, we can but try.) In my memoir drafts I have a series of themes and anecdotes, but not so much the stuff of drama. By this I mean a … Continue reading Making a Scene
The Power of the Mic
In September 2017 Elwood Writers recorded its Fathers’ Day stories for Vision Radio Australia (VAR). I accompanied Barry Lee Thompson to the studio for his reading of ‘Phase’, a story about a young man whose relationship with his father deepens and evolves as the son explores his sexuality. While Barry read, presenter Tim McQueen was … Continue reading The Power of the Mic
WRITINGS AND MUSINGS OF MARGARET MCCAFFREY 