Dying Embers out now

Dying Embers out now

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Starting to write

About a year ago, I started to write my memoirs ... well, more of a collection of anecdotes, really. It occurred to me that a lot of interesting aspects of my life may never be known to my kids if I did not write them down. Having relocated to Australia, and of course with many older relations dying off, there could be a big gap in their knowledge of their own backgrounds.
Of course it may be a long time until my children are at all interested in any of this. But, as my father died when I was quite young, I know almost nothing about his life; and, in recent years, this has seemed increasingly important to me. I would give anything even to have an example of his handwriting.
Anyway, I now have many A6 Moleskine notebooks full of these memories and anecdotes, and as I wrote all this stuff down, I realised I was enjoying the process. I have written a little in the past; when I was young I attempted some really bad stories, as most people do, and then more recently working as the creative director of a magazine company, I would occasionally write a feature for one of my titles. I have always looked upon myself as someone who had something to say, but would never have the confidence to say it.
Within my memoirs, however, I began to feel there were some tales to be told which could be of interest to a general reader, not just a family member. (Admittedly, not many general readers; I don't expect any best sellers!) So, I began some short stories, six months ago. It has been a fascinating journey, and when I became aware of the possibilities of publishing electronically, I thought, why not experiment? I don't suppose Robert Aickman would have approved of electronic reading devices, but never mind about that!

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