I wrote a short story recently - over the last few days actually - but the idea for it has been brewing for a while. I haven’t written a short story in ages - it was fun. Fun not to be locked into the backstory of the characters like I am with the novel. Fun that it doesn’t really matter that the central character isn’t likeable. (One the protagonists in the novel is rather un-likeable and frankly, it’s a concern!)
Elizabeth Jolley was a lecturer of mine when I studied Creative Writing in my Arts Degree at University and her criticisms of my short stories were somewhat unflattering. (Truth be told, I’m fairly certain she hated them.) She was a sharp-tongued woman with a pointed nose personality that reminded me of a witch, especially when she handed me back another valiant effort with Not really good enough, Simonne emblazed across it in red pen.
God rest her soul and all, but… Sigh.
I wonder what she’d say about my latest effort, some 16 years later: Not really good enough, Simonne. Tim Winton studied here you know?
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14 Comments
May 6, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Simonne - you’re back! Some of us would like to have our poor efforts scribbled on by Ms Jolley (or even better, Tim Winton!).
Good to see you return anyway!
May 7, 2008 at 12:45 am
Hey Simonne,
I love the people who try to stop your from writing. I find them very inspiring, if only out of spite. Chances are, she is not good enough, which is why she taught. Screw her, I’m sure your stories rocked.
Annie
May 7, 2008 at 5:12 am
Hey Oscar, thanks for the visit
Yes, I guess I shouldn’t bemoan having such an important Australian writer as a teacher!
Hey Annie - it’s true, they can be the inspiring ones afterall! And actually Jolley is a pretty important figure in Australian literature, I just didn’t much like her as a teacher!!
May 7, 2008 at 2:10 pm
isn’t the art of writing defined, in part by the subjective nature of ‘good?’ while the technical ‘goodness’ of writing can be evaluated and corrected, there is an art of expression that begs to stretch and live beyond such technical frames. good writing is found in this alchemy…or so i believe.
i am delighted to find you returning to blogging. Namaste’
May 7, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Hear hear Theo! Thanks for stopping by
May 8, 2008 at 10:27 am
The pointed-nose ones are usually the most free with the red pen….incidentally my mom has a pointed nose and marks me up with her proverbial red pen whenever I see her: “have you put on weight?”….hahaha
May 8, 2008 at 10:41 am
Maybe we should get into face reading?
Just tell your mum, yes, you have put on weight, you’re getting smarter so your brain is heavier… will she fall for that??
May 9, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I know one shouldn’t speak ill of the dead but there are quite a few of us who didn’t like E J or her writing for that matter either - there seemed to be a sameness about it. We’ll take yours any day!
Dawn and Rose
May 10, 2008 at 12:03 am
Oh, thanks very much D and R!
May 13, 2008 at 4:45 am
Hi Simonne,
“Good enough” is a pretty vague goal post to me. Mind you, I’d find it hard to be a creative writing teacher; because there would be at least one person that would rub me the wrong way. Probably the person I felt the most threatened by and I’d torture myself about being unprofessional; and as I marked with my red, red pen the Pyscho “reeh! reeh!” would be playing in my head.
But that’s just me. I’m sure EJ was entirely professional!
May 13, 2008 at 7:38 am
Hi Whiti, I’d be a hopeless CW teacher too, I’m absolutely sure of that!
Yes, EJ was professional in her snippiness
May 16, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Good reply to EJ! I concur heartily.
May 19, 2008 at 1:21 am
my favorite english prof. said she stopped used
red ink when “making notations” on a student’s
work , after handing back a student his paper he
said “oh, my paper is bleeding”.
May 19, 2008 at 10:31 am
That’s classic Jade, love it!! Well EJ certianly made my papers bleed!
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