Meg Rosoff - Writer's Voice

Keynote speaker Meg Rosoff

Meg Rosoff is a great speaker as well as a wonderful writer.
If you ever have the chance to attend one of her talks or courses, drop everything and go. We laughed and chuckled at her stories and applauded her thoughts.
Thoroughly inspiring.

This is my understanding of her talk on the writer's voice.

Yep - a colander.

Our brains accept every experience in our life, but in our brains there sits a colander. Most of our experiences sift through the holes, but the memories which stick and gather in the colander are who you are.

A shared experience will be viewed and remembered differently by everyone who attends it. Some people remember smells, sounds, and music. Others remember colours, shapes, faces. I remember scenes, emotions and the occasional conversation.

These memories are your perspective - it is what creates your voice.

But we cannot easily access all the memories we hold in this colander. Most is stored in our subconscious, the brains ingenious method for keeping us sane.
Can you imagine remembering everything ? You would have too much swirling in your head, and normal life would get in the way. This may sound familiar to you.  Probably why many writers are perceived as a little crazy?

Fear not, there is a narrow bridge between our conscious and subconscious mind and as writers we  use the bridge to freely access our hidden memories, We find our voice.
 I am sure you have all experienced the moment of inspiration and ideas whilst falling sleeping, or as you wake, Many people write best in the early hours of the morning or late at night. I find walking in the countryside works for me - not for writing on paper or screen, but for ideas, plot problem solving, character issues - writing in my head.

Experiment and find what works for you,
Practise crossing the bridge and become aware of what aspects of your life you focus on. The more you use the bridge the stronger your unique writer's voice becomes, the more it will resonate with the reader.

Thank you Meg for this food for thought.

I bought two of her books - 'There is No Dog' and 'Jonathan Unleashed' - and she signed them :)


There is No Dog is a humorous tale aimed at YA, but I loved it.
There is a thought provoking message woven into the paper.







I am saving Jonathon Unleashed - her first published adult story - for another day. I look forward to savouring every word.