Sunday, March 30, 2014

Goodbye to the blog

I had a wonderful holiday in San Francisco. This is Lux and me sunbathing at Dolores Park in San Francisco last week:

dolores park

And Cecilia and me reading We’re all Going on a Bear Hunt:

cece and me

And here I am with the Aging Hippie at the beach in the Big Sur:

karen and me big sur

But now I have some news. Just as Tony Benn left the House of Commons after 50 years “to spend more time on politics” I am going to take a break from the blog to spend more time on writing.

Maybe I should start from somewhere else. A quote from Joan Didion will help me explain:

“Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

This is true of me. But I find that I can’t do this on the blog, because there are things I want to write about that I can’t share with you, dear readers, often (but not always) because they concern other people.

This means that the things that I can and do share with you are what could be described as ‘first world problems.’ And I feel less and less comfortable in doing this.

When nine million people in Syria have had to flee their homes, it feels beyond inappropriate for me to be wailing about my car being taken for scrap. When every week Palestinians are having their homes demolished by the Israeli authorities, and when children in Gaza are seriously malnourished because of the Israeli blockade, and only ten percent of the drinking water meets WHO sanitation standards, it feels wrong to be complaining about my kidney infection. And when asylum seekers are being torn from their families and deported every week, it feels petted to complain that my grandchildren live so far away, because, after all, I am lucky enough to be able to see them for a month every year.

I want to be clear: I’m not saying that personal blogs are not valid or not valuable. I am just saying that I no longer feel comfortable writing mine. I may feel differently in a couple of months.

In the meantime I am going to spend my blogging time on writing a personal journal. I’ll continue with the screenplay. I might try to write a radio sitcom. And having just discovered a new (to me) and wonderful novelist in Anna Quindlen, I am newly inspired to write another novel (which I had sworn not to do.)

There’s also the garden crying out for attention, my patchwork quilt is still unfinished, and my new bike is calling to me from the shed. This week I am trying to design some striking posters to use in peace vigils this year, in the context of the World War 1 commemoration. I’m hoping that Dave will help with the captions – he’s so good at that kind of thing. I like this poster, but I can’t find where to buy a copy:

our world needs you peace poster

If you’re a newcomer here, and have only just found my blog, there is an awful lot to read about my daily life in the archives. 

Thank you for dropping by. It’s been great to have your company. I might be back in the future. Who knows?

Ooh, nearly forgot. I will still be on Twitter @suehepworth

7 comments:

lyn said...

I'm sorry you've decided to stop blogging, Sue, but I do understand your feelings. Good luck with all your future projects & I'll look forward to reading your next novel.

Sue Hepworth said...

Thank you,
Thank you for being a loyal reader and for all your support through the publication of my last two novels.
Good luck with all your own endeavours.
Sue.

Christine said...

I'm going to miss your blog, Sue. It's been part of the routine of my day.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with all your future plans Sue, I've loved reading your blog and will miss it. Looking forward to your next novel and/or play.

Best wishes,

Shafia x

Sue Hepworth said...

Thanks for your kind words, Chrissie and Shafia. Thanks for checking in so often. Onward and upward!

Anonymous said...

Your sign-off from the blog is interesting and with reasoning that everyone can respect and accept, plus you've left a hint at the possibility of coming back after a pause, which is good.
I shall miss your blog, both the writing and the lovely photos that go with it.

Sue Hepworth said...

Thank you, anonymous. I am glad you understand.