Monday, January 18, 2010

Newsflash: An introduction and two other blogs

For those who may be interested - and can spare the time - I’d like to introduce my friend Gretta, a fine writer and fascinating person who has lately started her blog Dustchange.

Gretta and I joined a novel writing class many moons ago. She was well on her way in the writing business; several published short stories, while I was new at it then. We moved beyond novel writing, though only Gretta finished her novel, while I’m still working on mine, though I wouldn’t call mine a novel anymore.
Anyhow this is about Gretta.

Check out her blog. She’s living in the Kimberly region in Western Australia at the moment and writes about some of her experiences there with the keen eye and passion for detail of the fine writer that she is.

I mention blog number two to introduce another Australian writer, Maria Tumarkin, author of Traumascapes and Courage. Maria features on Damon Young’s blog as part of his writers’ series, 'The Write Tools' in which writers write about their preferred writing conditions.

If you visit Damon’s blog you can get some feel for Maria’s wonderful writing and finally, though this one sounds a tad too conceited, I’d like to introduce Tania Herschman's blog which in one post features my story as a writer. Too self interested by half, though autobiographical and hopefully interesting.

16 comments:

Gretta said...

You make me blush, Lis! Thanx for the fine words!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Gosh don't know which new blog to go to first! Shall have a peep at them though.
Re your last post - I too am a Scorpio. I don't believe a word of astrology but when i was on the National executive of a womens' organisation we had a dinner at which all twelve committee members were discussing astrology and what rubbish it was. Then we discovered that eleven of us were Scorpio (bossy, managing etc.) It certainly made us all think!

Manon said...

Thanks for the recommendations!! I will go check them out!!

Jim Murdoch said...

I've added them to my feedreader and will watch with interest to see how they get on.

Kass said...

Elisabeth - how generous of you to spotlight these people. I enjoyed reading Gretta's post - such elegantly simple writing.

I knew from Maria's bookcover, that her writing would be courageous. I especially liked her comments about coffee.

Thank you so much for the link to more information about you. I think it reinforces a simplicity I've been striving for to hear you reiterate the importance of "writing how it feels to me." I'm glad to read of your Dutch heritage. It instantly brought to mind the first time I viewed color TV. I was invited to a rich neighbor's home to see "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates." I don't know if it was actually filmed in Holland, but that image of bright colors and Dutch determination will forever be in my memory.

Is that your actual library? Very impressive. I like forward to more unfolding of your layered background.

Leslie Morgan said...

I thank you for pointing these out, Elisabeth. As we were saying over at Kirk's, "if SHE finds these blogs interesting, I want to take a look at them."

steven said...

elisabeth thankyou for sharing these blogs here. i'll have time for a visit this weekend. steven

Elisabeth said...

Gretta, you needn't blush, it's all true.

Thanks, Weaver. Wow, another Scorpio. We're springing up all over the place now.

Scorpio? bossy? Never.

Seriously speaking, I put my organisational tendencies down to other things, my position in my family for instance. I'm not the oldest girl. Oldest girls are oftentimes bossy, but I am the oldest girl in the second half of my siblings. Large families tend to divide. As the oldest of the last four I remember being put in charge of the little ones. Maybe that's where it comes from, and not my stars.

But eleven Scorpios in the same room, all with the same managerial tendencies begs the question. What is it about us Scorpios?

Thanks Manon and Jim. I hope I don't sound too managerial here in directing you to other people's blogs but these two posts and Gretta's ongoing blog are worth it.

Thanks, Kass. I met Maria Tumarkin at a conference a couple of years ago. She is not only a wonderful writer, she is also an energetic, generous and highly intelligent woman whose life story, which you can read about to some extent in her book on courage, is fascinating.

That photo to which you allude is of the back wall behind my desk in my writing room. It looks good in the picture but normally is a lot more disordered. I had just finished my annual spring clean when I took the photo.

My father once told me that Hans Brinkler and the Silver Skates is an American story. It seems my father was right.

I have just now checked Wikipedia. Mary Mapes Dodge wrote the story. It was published in 1965.

The book is set in Holland with all the cliched artifacts of that land but for my father it was a travesty. I doubt that he actually read it, but he would have heard about it. It was as you say made into a film. It's the same with the story of 'Peter the Dyke Boy', the boy who saved Holland from the floods by holding his finger in a hole the dyke wall until help arrived.

That story too my father told me is not a Dutch original but made up elsewhere.

So what, I say. But it troubled my father. He was a proud man, and particularly proud of his Dutch heritage, for whatever good it did him.

Thanks Leslie. I'm flattered that what interests me is somehow in all likelihood seen to be of interest to others.

Phoenix said...

Thanks for passing these along! I'm always up for finding new and interesting blogs to read :)

Rosaria Williams said...

How wonderful to run into you, and your writinb friends. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Eryl said...

So many blogs so little time! Can't wait to go and see that bookcase of yours.

Thank you for coming and commenting on my own blog, it's always good to meet another writer.

Elisabeth said...

Thanks for visiting here, Lakeviewer and Eryl. I hope you find the other posts I mentioned worthwhile.

I see you've been to visit Gretta, Lakeviewer. She introduces an unfamiliar world in her writing, and that's something I particularly enjoy.

melissashook said...

I did go to Gretta's post which was quite remarkable. When I was taking a shower this morning, the thought of her running in the rain with the children next door came to mind...breaking the plastic gun, not knowing what words to say about this...
I really do appreciate your continual support...kind soul that you are...
many thanks...

Marja said...

Thanks for sharing these blogs and thanks for visiting me. I am low key blogging at them moment because I have a new job and have to do some addotional training Hope to be on track again soon
Groetjes uit NZ

A Cuban In London said...

Many thanks for those introductions. I will be checking those blogs very soon, especially because they deal with one of my passions: writing. I'm always on the lookout for new talent.

Greetings from London.

Elisabeth said...

I'm glad you enjoyed Gretta's blog, Melissa. The stories she tells are powerful. she is living in a world that few of us here have any experience of. she is sensitive and honest in her portrayal of the triumphs and sadness there.

It's lovely to see you on my blog, Marja. I love to see the Dutch language. i ca understand a little but I cannot speak it or write it, though funnily enough I can read it and understand much of what is said, if it's spoken slowly.

Thanks, Cuban. That's makes a pair of us, you know: both on the look out for writing talent. There's a fair bit of it around in blogland. If you hear of any new folk, please let me know and I'll return the favour.