I may have seen this movie too many times...

I also may be in the middle of watching it again... but there is one line from The Queen that strikes me every time.  Helen Mirren, as Queen Elizabeth II, says, "I think I'll write my diary a bit."  Now this line has no particular importance to the story, or the movie as a whole, but the way its phrased (I'd like to think its a Britishism-"to write one's diary"-but I have no proof) implies such an active role in the journaling process and has me thinking.  As a relatively recent convert to daily journal writing, I find such profound meaning in this because it implies that what goes into a diary is not simply a record of a day or a documentation of thoughts, but rather the act of journaling itself can be a way to "write" one's life; therefore, the actual writing of it impacts the writer's perception of the event, even after the event has taken place, and indeed the writer him/herself.  One of my favorite writers, J.M. Coetzee, talks about the relationship between the writer and the writing, explaining that it is not only the writer who writes the writing, but also the writing that writes the writer.  Sort of, we are what we write, and vice versa.  I think this just might create a whole new level of pressure in my life!

I just finished reading Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is a story that has marked similarities to his own life (Americans living in Europe, wife struggling with mental instability).  The similarities are so pronounced that at the time of publication he was criticized by his friends, specifically Ernest Hemingway, for his lack of originality, but although the world he creates may be his own, the story is not.  In this way he seems to write an autobiography in fiction, which details a life he could have lead had he made different decisions.  It is his life written, but only partially lived.  The experience of making your own character live out a different reality is so cool.  It makes me wish I wrote fiction.  My character would have such fun!

Sorry if this is a bit to much of a deviation from my usual posts, but its on my mind.  I think that I'll start using this blog for more than just adventure documentation, so check back whenever you feel like it, posts will probably be more regular, and I'll post some of the (more) fun stuff to facebook!