tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post9017812679595508051..comments2023-06-28T22:58:28.247+10:00Comments on Sixth In Line: Keeping secretsElisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-26619101978782433042012-06-21T19:29:19.851+10:002012-06-21T19:29:19.851+10:00Sorry for the belated response here, Zuzana. The ...Sorry for the belated response here, Zuzana. The personal itself is often the stuff of secrets, and this in some ways is what makes it difficult to wrote. We get caught up in protecting ourselves and others. <br /><br />Dogma in education whether of the religious type or any other ideology has its problems, as you'd well know. I'm glad we both survived ours. <br /><br />Thanks, Zuzana.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-84044273130967857742012-06-16T02:04:11.766+10:002012-06-16T02:04:11.766+10:00Dear Elisabeth,
I always return here as your writ...Dear Elisabeth, <br />I always return here as your writing fascinates me, because it is deeply personal.<br />We all have secrets, or rather undisclosed moments in our past. The most interesting people I know have secrets. I believe in keeping them, and there is noting wrong in doing so, even from people we trust and share everything with. It only goes wrong when we are asked a direct question about such a moment by such a person and when we then lie.;) If we trust that person, the truth should be easy to tell.<br />Your upbringing in school reminds me of my own, it was not geared in religious manner, but a communistic one.;) The same dogma though.;)<br />Have a nice weekend,<br />xoxoZuzanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02137958790178864561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-45191595145061792652012-06-14T17:38:42.135+10:002012-06-14T17:38:42.135+10:00I'm pleased to have provoked your thoughts, Ag...I'm pleased to have provoked your thoughts, Aguja. It's the lot of the writer to be judged, not just for what she has written but for her motivations and the effect she might have on her readership and lots more besides.<br /><br />Sometimes I feel like saying to people who criticise me for the fact of writing, more so than for the content: why don't you go out there and put your thoughts and feelings onto the page for public view and then judge.<br /><br />The most cruel critics tend to be those who don't write. <br /><br /> Thanks, Aguja.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-80259045725464049982012-06-14T17:34:15.817+10:002012-06-14T17:34:15.817+10:00Anna Nalick's lyrics resonate, Birdie.
...Anna Nalick's lyrics resonate, Birdie. <br /><br /> 'I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd<br />Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud...'<br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-55090882631060911242012-06-14T17:32:11.921+10:002012-06-14T17:32:11.921+10:00Thanks for your thanks, Pandora.Thanks for your thanks, Pandora.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-85439892571673804622012-06-14T17:31:10.908+10:002012-06-14T17:31:10.908+10:00I agree, Juliet but to give her credit it may be t...I agree, Juliet but to give her credit it may be that the facilitator reckons we are or at least ought to be at the end stage. Most of us I'd say are not. <br /><br />Thanks for your commiseration. It's tough when every bone in your body points you in one direction and your 'leader' points you in another with which you heartily disagree.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-35058492553200673542012-06-14T05:31:31.753+10:002012-06-14T05:31:31.753+10:00I so empathised with the begininng of your post as...I so empathised with the begininng of your post as my need to write is just so. It is good to see it written down by another. Also, I felt sad that Hilary Mantel had to wonder about sharing a painful part of her life. I admire her writing greatly, and as a person that she had the courge to share this.<br /><br />You are right in that life is not black and white - a blinkered view - and I dislike the way in which people often want to parcel up a person into a category when each is an individual - with totally different motives in life. I wonder why another person can not just be appreciated for who they are ... and not analysed.<br /><br />Thank you for provoking my thoughts!agujahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15857809123531088629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-43774587944244857252012-06-14T05:31:15.250+10:002012-06-14T05:31:15.250+10:00The song, "Breathe" by Anna Nalick says ...The song, "Breathe" by Anna Nalick says it all for me. <br /><br /><br />2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song<br />If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,<br />Threatening the life it belongs to<br />And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd<br />Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud...Birdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03479872783727855901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-35338476365055248872012-06-13T22:30:19.097+10:002012-06-13T22:30:19.097+10:00What a fantastic, thought provoking post, Elisabet...What a fantastic, thought provoking post, Elisabeth. ThanksPandora Behrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17582255671962095503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-34771132303680253812012-06-13T18:12:56.056+10:002012-06-13T18:12:56.056+10:00I'm surprised that your writing facilitator wo...I'm surprised that your writing facilitator would pronounce on what is a marketing issue, and not a writing issue. Her remarks sound very inhibiting.<br /><br />When I'm writing, I have to push marketing descriptions out of my mind, and just focus on the task in hand. Much later, when a book is complete and at the editing stage, I change mind-set and think about how I'd describe it to a reader. But while I'm still in the process of writing - impossible! - and definitely not necessary, or even a good idea.Juliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542985048406828693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-749262122954131872012-06-12T20:22:57.278+10:002012-06-12T20:22:57.278+10:00I'd hate to turn myself into a freak show, Kir...I'd hate to turn myself into a freak show, Kirk, though it's possible I suppose. I think the quality of the writing helps transcend the gratuitous and therefore narcissistic elements that tend not to let a reader in and are more about the writer's needs to get it out. <br /><br />I enjoy your description of why you write. Essentially, like me, I suspect you write to be heard, to find a voice, to figure it out, to think, etc etc.<br /><br />Thanks, Kirk.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-31745485232593233522012-06-12T20:11:17.558+10:002012-06-12T20:11:17.558+10:00Thanks for letting me off the hook, Art: No guilt ...Thanks for letting me off the hook, Art: No guilt required, you say. It helps of course to hear these things. And thanks for reminding me yet again of Jim's notion that 'a writer is someone who's first response to life is to write about it'. Even the impulse can cause guilt, especially when you're standing at the bedside of a dying relative and you feel the impulse to describe the experience as you're going through it. There's a certain callousness in that. But how else can you remember if you don't put you're mind to it even as it's happening.<br /><br />Thanks, Art.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-89367914994641294412012-06-12T19:23:59.157+10:002012-06-12T19:23:59.157+10:00What a coincidence, Davide, we share the same age....What a coincidence, Davide, we share the same age. It's not such a bad stage of life, though those who are younger might think not, and those older might long to return to that age.<br /><br />Thanks, Davide.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-57141880966125127422012-06-12T19:22:07.376+10:002012-06-12T19:22:07.376+10:00I don't know Sean M, Camberwell solicitor, Rob...I don't know Sean M, Camberwell solicitor, Robert, but I commiserate with your story and I agree: to speak the so-called truth, in so far as we are able, is oftentimes more helpful than keeping it to ourselves, but it takes courage. <br /><br />Thanks, Robert.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-9685994269513866462012-06-12T19:18:54.318+10:002012-06-12T19:18:54.318+10:00This battle over what's legitimate and what...This battle over what's legitimate and what's not in writing can become tedious, Dave. We persevere in spite of it. The pressure is on to meet the so-called needs or wishes of the public and those who filter what gets through with our own perspective on what you 'need' to say and write. <br /><br />A blog at least allows more freedom. <br /><br />Thanks, DaveElisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-43030525717971133042012-06-12T09:23:29.235+10:002012-06-12T09:23:29.235+10:00Once I get into a groove, I can really ejoy writin...Once I get into a groove, I can really ejoy writing. The hard part is finding the entrance to that groove.<br /><br />Gore Vidal once said writing is thinking. I write to know what I'm thinking, as someone else just pointed out, but also, quite frankly, to let others know that I'm even capable of thinking. I write because I'm a lousy talker. I want the impression I leave on people to be something other than a stammer. I write because I have a view of the world I want to share. I write because I want people to know it is POSSIBLE to have a view of the world. A view of the world outside the general consensus. I write as a final stand. Writing is my Alamo. Er...perhaps that not the best metaphor to use.<br /><br />I also write because I'm a fan of certain writers. They're my heroes, my role models.<br /><br />I don't write confessional or whatever you call it. Not yet, anyway. Someday I might, but I don't want to do it unless I can TRANSCEND the confessional, make those deep, dark secrets universal. Anything less than that and you risk turning yourself into a freak show.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-63891852010294326432012-06-12T00:24:05.829+10:002012-06-12T00:24:05.829+10:00Writing to know what you are thinking. Self-explor...Writing to know what you are thinking. Self-exploration and self-revelation. Writing becaus it's as necessary a breathing, because it's necessary to life. As Jim says, a winter is someone who's first response to life is to write about it. <br /><br />I see you do those things all the time. Secrets aren't confessional if they're grist for the mills of enlightenment. I think confessional writing is what many narcissists do, but not what YOU do.<br /><br />And I've said before, making art is the best revenge. It helps me cope. It keeps me alive, gives me reason keep going. Writing about my own past and present challenges isn't confessional (who cares anyway?) when the purpose of doing so is to help me survive another day or so. <br /><br />I think you make art to live, to discover, to go on. No guilt is required.Art Durkeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07463180236975988432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-57153033859274636862012-06-11T04:51:44.914+10:002012-06-11T04:51:44.914+10:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tommaso Gervasuttihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17137499390434949734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-63390727492571408402012-06-11T04:47:16.928+10:002012-06-11T04:47:16.928+10:00I do agree, so much, about writing into the unknow...I do agree, so much, about writing into the unknown....<br />Elisabeth, I think we have exactly the same age.<br /><br />All my best,<br />Davide<br /><br />(Tommaso)Tommaso Gervasuttihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17137499390434949734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-58018526416732312932012-06-11T02:45:27.482+10:002012-06-11T02:45:27.482+10:00You generalise, make assumptions. It's all sto...You generalise, make assumptions. It's all stock psychology, $19.95.<br /><br />Do you know Sean M, Camberwell solicitor, who conned my MG sportscar from me for 'legal fees' and whose incompetence sent me down the river anyway? I tell the truth. I don't exaggerate, there's nothing in it for me. Telling the truth restores people, most won't do it because they're scared. There's the choice.R.H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04639593801088008224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-84441737164902367692012-06-10T21:24:47.664+10:002012-06-10T21:24:47.664+10:00I find it strange, the way writers convince themse...I find it strange, the way writers convince themselves that their form of writing is the only or most valid one, and forms which they would or could not wrestle with are less valuable.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-58277341408948139642012-06-10T16:53:47.477+10:002012-06-10T16:53:47.477+10:00I'm with you here, Glenn, on the value of expl...I'm with you here, Glenn, on the value of exploring and questioning over and above the business of passing judgments. I suppose we need both, but I'm most comfortable with the former.<br /><br /><br />Thanks, Glenn.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-55470891955146963842012-06-10T16:51:50.517+10:002012-06-10T16:51:50.517+10:00You have no secrets it seems Robert and tell us a ...You have no secrets it seems Robert and tell us a great deal, but I'm still left with the thought that some of it might be exaggerated to give us a rise. Yet isn't that the way of most writing? <br /><br />Thanks, Robert.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-51945675244075870432012-06-10T16:49:13.668+10:002012-06-10T16:49:13.668+10:00Hilary Mantel is a marvelous writer, Laoch and sou...Hilary Mantel is a marvelous writer, Laoch and sounds to me like a terrific woman from the little I know of her. Her diary confirms this. I value her downright honesty. <br /><br />Thanks, Laoch.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-58461875691744017102012-06-10T16:44:50.825+10:002012-06-10T16:44:50.825+10:00There's another saying, Rob-bear, that comes t...There's another saying, Rob-bear, that comes to me in response to your second comment here: 'violence is a crime'. <br /><br />Not always of course, but there are times when to remain silent is a cop-out with dreadful consequences.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.com