Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER.
It was with some trepidation I made my way from Werribee to Carlton to lose my virginity.
My writing workshop virginity, that is. I was Last-Minute Lucy, booking at the latest opportunity, when I couldn’t change my mind or let something else take priority. At least I didn’t look out of place, like a country mouse in the city house. We were a room full of middle-aged women upstairs in a Carlton café listening, laughing and realizing all the excuses we make for not writing are bullshit.
Dev the Diva says, in the tradition of well-known sportswear manufacturers, Just Do It. No, it’s not selfish, self-indulgent or vain. No, you don’t need to do the ironing, wash your hair or walk the dog. No, you are smart enough, good enough, interesting enough and your story is worth telling. Life is short. Don’t be frightened – it’s not like your going to kill someone!
I thought I really should be writing in a handcrafted journal with a beautiful pen instead of thumping away on the keyboard – I can hear myself tap, tap, tap and everyone else is smooth and silent and I’m probably distracting everyone. I’m not a great typist, but I can edit as I go and what I like about the digital age is that the finished product is much neater and more accessible than my handwriting.
Perhaps you give away less of yourself when you use a keyboard – nobody can judge your handwriting or take it away to forensics and compare it to the murdering adulteress who turned her victims into soap and candles. A typed paragraph is more anonymous, but equates to a smaller ratio of black to white on the page.
So, the message of today was to just keep writing, like Dory, just keep writing…. Don’t worry about what people think – it’s none of your business what other people think! All your misgivings, lack of self-confidence and excuses are not barriers but obstacles that can be overcome with determination, persistence and a few sticks and carrots thrown in along the way. So, in the words of that ageing musical aficionado, Do Yourself a Favour. Book in and spend the day with Dev. Eat great food. Write a bit. Then write a bit more and just keep writing.
Thanks Catherine, for sharing with us how to hack our own mind games. I hope one day I can pay it forward and give someone else the joy of reading that I have experienced.