Ballito author shares how writing helped her deal with grief
Blignaut wrote the 'grief memoir' in 2023, a decade after the sudden death of her husband Paul at the age of 60.
The book, structured as a 10-step guide, was written to help her cope.
Reading from her prologue, Blignaut said: 'My life came to an abrupt halt; I had no idea how I was going to carry on.'
An author and academic, Blignaut grew up in Ballito after her family moved to Compensation Beach in 1959. She self-published 200 copies under her maiden name, Stiebel, selling them privately for R100. The former English professor uses the proceeds to fund her KZN Literary Tourism website.
She described coping with grief by writing in her journal daily, and using walking and talking as therapeutic tools.
'It's a little book, which will only take a couple of hours to read, but could have been vast, given the pile of journals I wrote. Going back into my journals was hard; they were wild outpourings from a different version of me. I think it took me time to delve back into the past.'
The Ballito Writers' Group meets at 10.30am on the last Thursday of each month at the library, gathering published authors and aspiring writers to discuss literary projects and challenges.
'These writers' groups are important. It is where writers can discuss their projects, because we all stumble and fall during the process,' said Blignaut.
Twelve-year member and event organiser, Peter Gunning, says the group is for all levels of writers. The group discuss their current projects, novels, poetry and how to publish their work. There is often a special guest speaker, and afterwards, the members enjoy a Q&A session and refreshments.
'Our group welcomes everyone, especially those who have not written anything before. We hope to inspire authors through our guest speakers or our creative writing exercises. We discuss our writing and share what we have learned with each other.'
Contact Peter at 083 441 1950.
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