At the launch of Every Second Tuesday, author Lee Kofman observed that certain of the Elwood Writers stories in the anthology exhibited a ‘fascinating’ interface between memoir and fiction. This reflects, I believe, a growing field of writers who are mixing the two genres. Blending them, however, can be a challenge. Debate rages about where … Continue reading The Interface between Memoir and Fiction
Tag: memoir
The Car Park
During our Melbourne lockdown, 2020, we were each allocated one hour of exercise per day. I drove to the local car park, which overlooks an oval surrounded by trees, and beyond that, a river. There I would just sit before my walk. This was a most splendid moment for me. It was winter, so I … Continue reading The Car Park
Ethics in Memoir
As part of the Elwood Writers' anthology launch, host Lee Kofman had prepared a question in advance for me on the ethics of writing about one's family. ‘Your memoirs in this collection feature various family members,' the question went, 'What are your ethical challenges when writing about others and how do you deal with them?’ … Continue reading Ethics in Memoir
Going Away to Write
Bob Dylan’s house in Malibu is sure to be gorgeous. Apparently it looks over the sea. But when a reporter asked him where he composes, he replied, ‘In a hotel room.’ Tom Wolfe (The Bonfire of the Vanities) was rumoured to have locked himself in a hotel at his editor’s insistence to finish The Kandy-Kolored-Flake Streamline … Continue reading Going Away to Write
Writing Bad
‘But Margaret, you seem so nice,’ a writing colleague said to me. ‘How do you come up with this stuff? Where does it come from?’ I shrugged. First of all, I’m not that nice. Secondly, being a writer is different to being a human being. The human is there to get along in the world, … Continue reading Writing Bad
Meet Author Barry Lee Thompson
Barry Lee Thompson, member of our group Elwood Writers, guest interviews about his newly released book, Broken Rules and Other Stories, on the website 'In Their Own Write'. There, Barry discusses his writing process. For him there is no such thing as writer's block. If he gets stuck, he works on something different,, dipping in … Continue reading Meet Author Barry Lee Thompson
Going Away to Write
Bob Dylan’s house in Malibu is sure to be gorgeous, apparently looking out over the sea. But when a reporter asked him where he composes his music, he replied, ‘In a hotel room.’ Tom Wolfe (The Bonfire of the Vanities) was rumoured to have locked himself in a hotel at his editor’s insistence to finish The … Continue reading Going Away to Write
Upcoming Anthology from Elwood Writers
‘But if a book has brought you from one place to another, so that you see something you didn’t see before, you’ve arrived at another point.’ James Baldwin, The Paris Review 1984. My writing group, Elwood Writers, is to release its anthology in November of this year. Every Second Tuesday is a collection of fiction, … Continue reading Upcoming Anthology from Elwood Writers
Writing in Bed
An original bad boy of American literature, Thomas McGuane, (Ninety Two in the Shade, The Missouri Breaks) tells us that these days he writes in bed. He’s in his seventies now and as a successful novelist is past caring what anyone thinks of his practice. The admission raises the question: where do we do we … Continue reading Writing in Bed
Ten Good Sentences
Ernest Hemingway has advice for writers: “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." We know this is harder than it sounds. Secretly, of course, we are looking for more than one. So was he. But one sentence is a good place to start. A while … Continue reading Ten Good Sentences
WRITINGS AND MUSINGS OF MARGARET MCCAFFREY 