Thanks for sending this Chris - I liked his statement that language is never innocent, and his notion about knowing when to stay silent......... that 'speed' and 'product' are not the goals of good writing. I think he is right too, about the dangers of making a living from writing. The culture of sameness and the pressure to conform that being so reliant produces. Those I know who do it are constantly driven by what they are asked to do, and so their imaginations are always bounded by what they can do with what _others_ are able to imagine or envisage......
Of course I wouldnt mind having to work _less_ at my teaching, or find some other more flexible way of working, since it is exhausting and leaves me so little time when I am able to work productively. But still yes, I think that being a freelance writer, or an institution writer can be a bit of a trap. The most exhausted and frustrated writers I know are people who are doing just that. And they are always trying to persuade me to join them, arguing that I would write 'more'.
I seem to be having some ideas here! Maybe I am recovering from the wearing down of the Christmas term a little!
Liz
