Hearing that Michael Palin is publishing diaries from his earlier life made me think: diary writing is an interesting genre to consider. Writing a memoir is surely different, because here the writer draws on 'truths' from memory. But those 'truths' are tempered by the implied relationship of writer and reader. Diary writing is a genre where the author is unaware of the reader's presence - in this respect, it is 'unconscious'. It will be unpolished, first draft - but ultimately perhaps more truthful.
This sent me searching in diaries for writing from my own, earlier days...
'Yesterday I walked with the dog across the stubble field then down the lane, just as the sun was setting: a pale yellow orb, still radiant, still strong. It felt - spiritual; a moment of connection, resonance between soul and landscape; between the turning Earth and being... a tiny part of it.'
Lofty stuff! Scary, sharing a private, unconscious moment of writing - yet it reveals the struggle to find expression and is perhaps all the more honest for that.
Diary writing as a genre is interesting, because rather than being presented with a finished, polished product, as reader we potentially share in the search for words... although I rather suspect that Michael Palin's work will be polished and ready for the market!
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