Your Time Starts Now- A Writing Interview

It involved a different person answering a series of predetermined questions each week. I always looked forward to reading their responses. I am naturally curious about other people's experiences in life. I often found myself wondering, how would I respond ? Would my answers differ or equate to those printed before me. So I have challenged myself to respond to the type of questions this feature posed:

My earliest memory: Watching my mother go to hospital in a taxi just prior to the birth of my sister and wondering if she would ever come back. I was quite distraught. Months earlier, my dog, Buster went to the dog hospital (as my parents put it) and never returned!

My favourite gadget is: My modern version of the fountain pen. I love how it feels in my hand when it scribes black ink across the pages of my latest writer's notebook. I am  attached to my iphone, but it is a relationship of imposed convenience. I am ihooked.

My Father told me: Always put things back where you found them.

My Mother told me: If you can't say something nice, it's better to say nothing at all

It’s not fashionable but I love : Stodgy, comfort food like Shepherd's Pie and mashed potato, particularly when the weather turns inhospitable.

At School: I was totally immersed in the social life that surrounded my day. Sport and learning were my two constant curiosities.

I wish I had: More time to travel as well as the money it requires. Travel gives me adventures, experience and stories to tell.It chips away at my ignorance.

I’m very bad at: Aerobics.

I'm reading: Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe's compelling argument for reconsidering the role of per colonial aborigines. Pascoe effectively dispels the hunter-gatherer myth we were erroneously taught in school, as part of social studies.

I'm listening to: Gregory Alan Isakov's album, 'The Weatherman.'

I wish I’d never worn: That watermelon coloured suit in the seventies! 

My first paid job: Was picking strawberries for Mr Arrow. I was paid a pittance for a day's work and my Dad told me not to go back. He felt I was being exploited. He was correct. I didn't go back.

If I were a car I’d be: Decidedly in need of repair. High mileage, sluggish in the morning, but still willing to climb hills.

When I was a child I wanted to be: A jockey. My Father told me I was already too heavy and would probably grow up strong enough to carry the horse. I was totally destroyed by this revelation. I was only five years old and to make matters worse, I was a bit afraid of horses. Not an ideal situation for an aspiring jockey.

 A message that matters: Elie Weisel said, 'We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.' This is why we must challenge hate speech. 

Try This:

Consider doing this exercise yourself and then invite your student writers to do the same. 

It's a good way to get the conversations flowing, making discoveries and forging stronger connections to one another. Your time starts now...