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Valverde Maclean

Life and love can take us to unexpected places


Valvedre Maclean  addressing

 the Mapleton Community Library

“Lover of Books” afternoon



Probus Club of the North Blacallll Range

  Now if you’re interested in gratuitous violence and graphic sex this would be a good time to slip out.

It’s not that my stories don’t have the odd dead body.  They do, but some of them died a long time ago.  Nor do I have anything against sex.  Without it, none of us would be here.  It’s just that I don’t write hot steamy stories full of unpleasant behaviour, depression, dispossession and gender confusion.  There is enough of that in the world anyway.

  What interests me are the relationships between people, and their behaviour.  Sometimes this is romance.  That’s always important.  But sometimes it’s not.  So again, my stories are not so much hearts and flowers, heaving bosoms and exaggerated passions, but more of the real concerns and emotions between people.


 i

  Actually, I am very fortunate to be writing today when we have computers.

I’m envious of those writers whose work flows smoothly from their mind onto paper or screen, fully formed, and without the need for correction.  I find I have to make many alterations.  Words are changed, sentences rephrased and repositioned.  Even the story will take on a life of its own.

Given my atrocious scrawl a double spaced hand written draft with all its corrections would be illegible even to me.  The most worn keys on my computer are the delete and backspace buttons, and the most used functions are cut and paste.

  I also have another problem.  When the words are flowing the keyboard doesn’t seem to get it right.  I have lots of red underscores.  I need spellcheck.  I don’t know how it works for you, but even after checking I still find errors.  And that’s ignoring the variations of Australian, American and British English.  I’ve had some interesting conversations with my proof reader over the changing conventions and usage of language.


Lovers of Books - Mapleton Community Library

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