Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Sunday Story - age

I don't know what to call this post, so it's just a story.

I attended a funeral through the week for the husband of a friend. He was 81, and I've only known them for 11 years. So I only ever knew him as an old man who'd had a stroke.

The funeral I attended was for a vibrant, go-getter, with a fiery temper but never held a grudge. One man spoke that they could have a ding-dong argument, then laugh and have a beer. They spoke of a man who was active, joyful, full of life. He could turn his hand to anything. He adored his family and did everything with his precious wife. A passionate, larger than life man who so many admired and remembered.

I didn't know that man. Sadly, I'd never even guessed that that man existed. I wish I had known that man, so I could see him when I my friend's husband.

Age and illness are cruel.

When I think of those who knew me at primary school, high school, university, early work career, in the various towns I've lived in, each of those people knew a part of me. The me I was at that time. The me that the life I was living allowed me to be. I wonder if they saw me in another time, would I be recognisable?

We change through life.Sometimes drastically. Sometimes in minor ways. But we change. Always.

I need to remember that. And look at people with more receptive eyes. See beyond who people present today - to see their past self, their future self, their potential and their ability to change, grow and develop.

That's my story for today.

Life changes us.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Sunday Story - Shame and workshops

Oh, my poor neglected blog.

The end of year seems to have a craziness all of its own...or maybe it's me! Anyway, I'm here to catch up a bit.

The Wollongong Writers Festival workshop on Shame, presented by Lee Kofman, was amazing. Not exactly what I thought it was going to be, because I didn't think properly. Lee writes memoir and creative non-fiction. So I should have made the leap that the Shame workshop woudl be along those lines...ha ha ha, I completely missed that. So I was the only fiction writer in the group. But it didn't matter. My mind was opened to a new-to-me genre.

Lee gave some recommendations for writing through your shame, which resonated for sex scene writing. She suggested first drafts should have everything in them, written as if no one is ever going to read it. When you go back to edit it, then think about publication, a focus, how you want it to appear, and what you want to say exactly. It's far easier to omit than to add in extras.

Shame was an interesting topic. Everyone feels shame, gets uncomfortable or scared. The trick to dealing with it is to face the fear, expose what you're comfortable with, and be brave. In sharing, you may alleviate someone else's agony.

The other people in the course were amazing writers. Lee had a great knack for encouraging us to share our writing exercises (the 5 or so minutes we had to scribble to her prompt). I noticed in my Erotic Writing Workshop that getting people to read their work wasn't easy, but Lee was so clever at this. She made sharing seem like something you wanted to do and were honoured to speak...even the reluctant speakers :) I have to brush up on that skill she had. I think a lot of her technique came because she shared her work right up front, and invited everyone to share. So the seed was planted early. I need to do this in the future.

The rest of the Festival was brilliant too. I'm often ho-hum about going to writing events but I had such a great time I'll have to change my thinking.

Have you been to any great events lately?

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Wildlife Wednesday - beach walk



I roamed the beach with my camera the other day and snapped photos along the tide line. There was a sponge which I got close to photograph, and only then noticed the beetles climbing over it.

I loved the feather lying on it's side.

And 'poppers' seaweed had a lovely colour and was still wet.