Women finding their voices
I’m here to celebrate writing by women. In short: women finding their voices.
Not the Virginia Wolfes, Margaret Atwoods and Elizabeth Jolleys (thank you, dear friends), but the Jennys and the Trishes and the Traceys, the Joys, Ruths and Pennys of this world, with whom I’ve worked directly in the last couple of years.
Though there’s a theme among this group, of grandmothers writing for their grandchildren, no two writers’ projects are the same. I love this aspect of my work—the variety, the nuance and the originality.
Take Jenny, whose daughter-in-law came up with the perfect 70th birthday gift: six sessions with a ghostwriter developing reflections and stories from her life. What a hoot this was! So hard to keep on track, but so much fun, Jenny’s threads were many and interesting. We laughed, we cried, we pondered and sorted. When it’s complete, Jenny’s book will have illustrations and recipes alongside the yarns I recorded and edited.
Trish wanted to pen something directly to her grand-daughter graduating from year 6 by writing stories from that period of her own life. The result is a beautiful and historical series of complete short stories from the 1950 and ‘60s. I so enjoyed feeling Trish’s growing confidence over the months as her voice became less ‘teachery’ and more personal, light and direct. What a meaningful and personal Christmas gift.
Then to Tracey’s lifelong work on leadership in education. This is her third book. It’s accomplished—thoroughly lived and researched, good humoured, and vital to our times. It challenges the status quo. Ahead of publishing this month, endorsements are pouring in from her peers and mentors around Australia and the rest of the world. I’m proud to have coached Tracey to this place then edited the book before passing it over for proofreading.
Penny’s brief was one I couldn’t resist: to interview around twenty former staff and students from RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing course. Being a graduate myself, it was an opportunity to catch up with old friends, but also chat with alums I’d never met. How divine it was to glean insight from so many accomplished writers (and editors) about writing (and editing!). I wrote fifteen profiles and a potted history of a course that has been going strong since 1988.
Ruth was working on a three-generational memoir—hers, her mother’s and her grandmother’s—and has now turned her attention to writing her first work of fiction. I’m coaching her in the art of writing scenes, when to show and when to tell, plotting, and generally developing her voice. Our phone meetings are so lovely, we sometimes forget to go to work! There’s nothing quite like the insight of a former teacher who loves learning…
Last and by no means least, there’s Joy who’s writing her memoir. Together, we’re sorting through themes to help us decide which stories and events are in, and which are out. How much and what type of detail to include. Where the story might start and where it might end. It’s been such a big life, we can’t include everything. As with Ruth, Joy is learning when and how and why to turn summary into scene. I always look forward to our Zooming discussions.
In among all of this glorious work, I’ve made time to complete the latest draft of my first novel. It’s currently with my mentor and we’re preparing to pitch to agents soon. Watch this space!
The common theme through all of these women’s stories? Honesty. Oh, and heart. And a willingness to grow. (OK, that’s three themes.)
Through this work, women are finding their voices. The narrative has been one-sided for too long and the world needs robust recalibration. It’s time.