“And here!” In triumph she flashed her trump card, a postal picture of herself when she was seven years old, in a dress like a yellow butterfly… “Who’s this little girl?” asked Jane. “It’s me!” The two girls held on to it. “But it doesn’t look like you,” said Jane simply. “Anybody could get a picture like this, somewhere…”
Your mother looks very cool in - and very central to - the basketball team photo. I wonder if strong characters all too easily get lost in the midst of motherhood? I only really grasped, after she died, that my mother had a young life - and writing a novel capturing (in my imagination) her thoughts and experience was my way of filling the gap that you speak of here. It was a strange but fulfilling experience for me to do that. As ever, a very thoughtful and interesting piece, Amy. Thank you.
Many thanks, Caroline. It's interesting that my piece drifted to her in particular and I think it is because of what you say - that women/characters can get lost there (in the state of motherhood). Anyway, your novel did such good work to find yours and bring her to yourself and your readers. And I think you made great use of those blurred lines of fiction and biography too. Thank you for reading and commenting, as ever!
Your mother looks very cool in - and very central to - the basketball team photo. I wonder if strong characters all too easily get lost in the midst of motherhood? I only really grasped, after she died, that my mother had a young life - and writing a novel capturing (in my imagination) her thoughts and experience was my way of filling the gap that you speak of here. It was a strange but fulfilling experience for me to do that. As ever, a very thoughtful and interesting piece, Amy. Thank you.
Many thanks, Caroline. It's interesting that my piece drifted to her in particular and I think it is because of what you say - that women/characters can get lost there (in the state of motherhood). Anyway, your novel did such good work to find yours and bring her to yourself and your readers. And I think you made great use of those blurred lines of fiction and biography too. Thank you for reading and commenting, as ever!