tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post2138020693776424343..comments2024-03-16T07:27:27.752+00:00Comments on Novel Points of View: OFF DUTY - LINDA MITCHELMORE PONDERS IF SHE EVER ISRae Cowiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213969901991611348noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-81712169876745490002012-02-07T15:07:46.285+00:002012-02-07T15:07:46.285+00:00I agree with what everyone has been saying here. I...I agree with what everyone has been saying here. It's a thought provoking post, Linda, and I think it's true to say writers are never off duty. Everything we experience and all that we witness other people experiencing is potentially usable material, even if it may be months or years later before we write it. I suppose this could make us appear to be hard-hearted but I believe it is more to do with how we connect to other people, sharing experiences with readers.Mary Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14688996930245857265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-9118971882631202522012-02-07T14:34:47.416+00:002012-02-07T14:34:47.416+00:00Great to see you back, Jenny.....I've missed y...Great to see you back, Jenny.....I've missed you. Thanks for the comment....not sure if it was JT or not, but whoever.....so right!!Linda Mitchelmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10948518126405880012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-55453728487886707232012-02-07T14:33:53.944+00:002012-02-07T14:33:53.944+00:00Thanks, Rosemary.....like you I tend to use my own...Thanks, Rosemary.....like you I tend to use my own experiences long after they have happened .....there's a little less personal pain, perhaps?Linda Mitchelmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10948518126405880012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-19174904681699330302012-02-07T14:31:59.261+00:002012-02-07T14:31:59.261+00:00Thanks for this Joan....and you are so right about...Thanks for this Joan....and you are so right about the bringing comfort ....I had a short story published about a woman diagnosed with cancer who wasn't sure if she'd live to see her granddaughter born.....and i had the loveliest - and most heart-rending - letter from a reader who said it had given her huge comfort.Linda Mitchelmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10948518126405880012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-42337994877195237482012-02-07T12:50:23.540+00:002012-02-07T12:50:23.540+00:00Spot on, Linda. Was it Joanna Trollope who said ol...Spot on, Linda. Was it Joanna Trollope who said older women make better writers because of the experiences they have had?Jenny Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16721428313351462045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-72859312663446025832012-02-07T11:31:52.877+00:002012-02-07T11:31:52.877+00:00Great post, Linda - I think the sum of a writer is...Great post, Linda - I think the sum of a writer is her experiences and emotions through life, as well as imagination! However, I only seem to use personal experiences many years after they happened. Maybe we need that distance to recall the emotion?Rosemary Gemmellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09311840205603508422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-89556360899441452692012-02-07T11:04:38.351+00:002012-02-07T11:04:38.351+00:00I think all our experiences and emotions must be d...I think all our experiences and emotions must be distilled into our writing, whether we're conscious of garnering them or not. Sharing painful experiences and deep emotions can bring comfort to readers in similar situations.<br /><br />Are we ever off duty? probably not.Joan Fleminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629276914643471249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-58407716596526776842012-02-06T12:41:03.210+00:002012-02-06T12:41:03.210+00:00Gosh yes, Maggie....I definitely feel emotion more...Gosh yes, Maggie....I definitely feel emotion more acutely than have a sliver of ice for a heart....thanks for your comment.....and Gwen and Gill, too.<br />I have Tweeted this blog site....who else will read us all????Linda Mitchelmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10948518126405880012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-88495556887705580982012-02-06T12:28:10.816+00:002012-02-06T12:28:10.816+00:00I've always found it a useful defence mechanis...I've always found it a useful defence mechanism as a human being that, as a writer, you can be in the most distressing or uncomfortable of situations, yet part of you is standing back and observing them, how you're reacting, how other people are reacting. <br /><br />There's a saying that writers have a sliver of ice where their hearts should be but I don't believe that. I think we're feeling the pain acutely but have this advantage that part of us can remain calm as we file it away for future reference. <br /><br />Sometimes I even forget where I got something in a book from until a reader tells me it connects with something in their own life and that's always a very moving moment, a real, valuable and worthwhile connection between writer and reader.Maggie Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09227748144981617328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-71508158116141516332012-02-06T11:32:06.224+00:002012-02-06T11:32:06.224+00:00I have just left a long comment but it has disappe...I have just left a long comment but it has disappeared into the ether apparently. I shall keep this short and say I agree Linda, we are continuously absorbing experiences and emotions subcosnciously.Gwen Kirkwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17201272628774727921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855283511538601375.post-35597491224431994682012-02-04T20:43:47.356+00:002012-02-04T20:43:47.356+00:00So glad the daughter was found safe and well!
And...So glad the daughter was found safe and well!<br /><br />And yes, I do feel that - consciously or unconsciously - there is something in a writer that gathers up experiences just in case they can be useful. We are writing about lives, ours and other peoples, and this is how we can understand them, isn't it?Gill Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03139563775181908912noreply@blogger.com