Here is the latest addition to our family: a 1965 Morris Minor van. This is the first time I have ever owned a Morris of any sort, let alone a van, but judging by the comments and waves we get with the other one (the black 1000) it’s a fondly nostalgic vehicle for many New Zealanders. My new van doesn’t have a WOF yet, but once it’s legal, I’m sure I’ll become a familiar sight on Auckland roads.
The Morris fleet
It might seem odd that I’ve called my pseudo-blog section of the website ‘The Blank Page’ … the idea came to me on seeing Gabrielle’s illustration of the typewriter with its blank page, all ready to be written on. That’s how all ideas (good, bad or indifferent) start: with a blank page, or screen. Apparently it’s supposed to be a scary thing for a writer – to be faced with all that blankness – and maybe you can get writer’s block by fixating on that for too long; however, I think one exciting thing about being a writer is filling up that blank page. It’s like, what will appear today?
I’ve heard writers who claim to write with no idea of what will happen next – the ultimate blank page! The Aussie author, Helen Garner, once said that she found writing a first draft was terrifying because of this unknowing; on bad days, she would go to the movies. Shonagh Koea once told me about how she wept while writing her novels. I like to let the pictures or images come into my head, then write them down. Sometimes I know where I’m going with it, while at other times it’s a mystery where this stuff comes from. And of course, like any other profession, there are good days and bad days.
In the meantime, I’ll be jotting down some of my thoughts on this not-so-blank page. You’re welcome to email me if you have a writing question or simply a funny story to share. Onwards & upwards.
