I suppose when that hashtag phrase is employed it’s meant to convey work on some literary or journalistic enterprise…for me it’s come to mean this: blogging. I had a letter from someone this morning inquiring why people close off access to their websites, make them private, or stop blogging. I can only make a guess about other people’s motivations, but for me, specifically, blogging can at times be overwhelming. There’s something Audrey Hepburn said that I think applies nicely: As a child, I was taught that it was bad manners to bring attention to yourself, and to never, ever make a spectacle of yourself … All of which I’ve earned a living doing.
In a way blogging is the most wonderful way to correspond with people all over the world, I have made friends through this website that I cherish. But there’s another side to it, and it has to do with my book and an activity that runs contrary to my nature, and that is what I’m doing right now—yakking about myself, my novel, my blah-blah-blah… It’s an uncomfortable line between creativity, expression, and the business of promoting yourself and your work. It’s a war between engagement and wanting to pull up the moat and hide away with a stack of books, a bunch of movies, and a cup of tea. Now, if this were somebody else they might say, “Hide away with a bottle of Stoli and an Xbox.” However, I can only speak for myself. Be well, Darlings. Especially a terrific writer in Belfast—I’ve answered your question as best I can. All love, V