What to Write?

Thoughts on writing – Meg Brookes
I want to write about real people and real events because it seems that I do not invent with any conviction – in painting too I can only paint what I can see (although the end result is abstracted). Fiction can be based on life, I know, and once the selection is made it is different from fact and could therefore be said to be fiction. I would therefore like to write some fiction. Other writing thoughts or ambitions:
My personal history written for family members who follow me – children grandchildren.
Travel writing interests me – of course you got to actually travel and that needs a bit of spare cash. I read travel writers but fear that I could not be a lone traveller and writer. I would need to test this out by taking a journey alone with a view to writing about it. Also ‘travel writing’ could be interpreted in different ways, for example – going to live somewhere away from home.
Writing portraits – in a journalistic sense. I have done a bit of this for the AIKB bulletin (now defunct).
I am interested in art criticism – visiting exhibitions – writing these up in language that most people would appreciate rather than the often high-fallutin prose used by art historians. (I have a certain knowledge of art history.)
Autobiography – there are writing groups who concentrate on writing autobiographical pieces as a kind of therapy or purging of problems. This would require a certain group agreement.
Writing for fun.
Themes that are of particular interest to me are
The English social class system and to what extent it still exists – perhaps making comparisons to the social class system in Brittany, France or elsewhere.
Philosophies as they are lived out in different societies – sounds much grander than I would or even could present it.
Economic migrants – are we economic migrants?

Fiction:
The last year has led me to think that I am not ready to write fiction – even though I spent the greater part of my life reading the stuff. Odd that it doesn’t prepare one for doing it.
At the back of my mind is the wish to write fiction – probably by fictionalising an autobiographical piece.

Technical Writing
Worked as a technical author (for end users in software) for 8 years. I have also written for a website www.wcities.com – a guide to what to do and where to go in Stratford and the w. midlands.
420 words 06 December 2006

On getting unblocked

These are the first words that I have written for more than a year. So already I am getting out of the block.