Saturday, August 01, 2015

The reader knows best



I contributed a piece to the Varuna Writers Centre newsletter on ageing and the emerging writer.  And find myself aghast at some of the comments. 

It’s as if some people take me literally.

And why shouldn’t they?  My words are all they have. 

And I wrote this piece on the down side of ageing, more than I focused on its strengths. 

Still, I find myself wishing I could qualify what I’ve written, when I know full well: once your writing is out there, it’s no longer yours. 


It belongs to the reader and given there are many different readers, your writing will evoke many different responses and understandings.

So maybe, as Annah Faulkner writes in the comments, I should 'put on [my] big girl panties and get on with it now'. 

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