Here’s Rachel Johnson! And me! She’s talking at Cybermummy now about the highlights and lowlights of her published career. Specifically, how many people she has pissed off in the process. She started writing The Mummy Diaries with three small children under 5 (her kids are now teenagers) before the world of mummy blogging even existed. She ‘s written when living abroad in Washington, US and alienated people. She moved to Brussels, wrote a column in the Sunday Times about life there instead and managed to alienate even more people. She says she has crossed that fine line between writing life and real life on many occasions, including writing about her husband’s liver transplant. Written for a particular magazine, she then found it was sold by that publication and her husband read it in the Evening Standard (someone else’s). Cross words, apparently. No speaking for two days. Ouch.
Rachel wrote a piece for Vogue on erm, female grooming down there. She wrote candidly about her own daughter’s grooming habits. The story went ballistic and Rachel was lambasted in the Daily Mail by Liz Jones. Liz Jones! That obviously hurt. Not as much as the waxing, no doubt.
However, she says that honest writing about yourself is what people want to read. Andrea Levy was on Desert Island Discs recently and did exactly that, going on to win a major writing award for ‘Small Island’. The great thing about blogging is that it has given us mere mortals a voice and a platform. She is a self-confessed technophobe and doesn’t blog (but she’s got 6,000 Twitter followers – @rachelsjohnson – so she can’t be that bad).
Her parting shot: just remember, friends are friends, family is family and they will love you no matter what. You just might have to grovel. Of course, this is not going to work for everyone, but it seems to work for her brilliantly.
Rachel is the editor of The Lady (www.thelady.co.uk) and has written a book, Diary of The Lady. Her brother is quite famous too, apparently.
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I loved listening to Rachel Johnson, there is something quite fascinating about her even if I cant agree with everything she says. Great to see you yesterday! 🙂
PHM – Exactly! Controversial but certainly very entertaining. Brilliant to meet you x
I was a little disappointed that given how much she had been paid she hadn't prepared a little more and just was flying off the cuff
I also don't understand how she can publish some of the things she writes BUT it is her choice to do that much in the same way its my choice to not embroil my friends and family in my writing
Great to meet you on Saturday
Muddling – agree, it wasn't nearly as engaging as the gorgeous Mrs Brown but man, she was funny in parts. Right back at you. Next time, cocktails after x
OOh if i'd known you were going I'd have come along. Let me know if you go next year. How was it?
BM x
BM – I really loved it, so much more than I thought I would. Heard Sarah Brown speak (crush), got goody bags thrust at me every time I turned around got to drink wine with some really lovely people. Met Potty Mummy!
You Miss take a mean photograph ! You look lovely. Potty got me into this blog lark in the first place, she's a dream. Glad you enjoyed Cybermummy and I enjoyed this. I actually read the RJ bit in Vogue re: grooming but bailed after a couple of sentences…..
In other news I have a friend staying who loves Campari. I did a search and your terrific Christmas post comes up !! Well done on CyberMummy – you might get me there next year xx
BW – why, thank you! She was TINY with great hair and wearing her body weight in costume jewelry. She wasn't everyone's cuppa but I thought she was hilarious. Yes, meeting Potty was a highlight. And so thrilled on the Campari post! Have you tried it, in Prosecco I mean? Delicious. Oh please come next year x
I enjoyed Rachel's talk, I thought it gave the conference that bit of edge that had been lacking. Her raw honesty about the faux par's she had made where refreshing. She is a woman who writes with a level of honesty that can sometimes make one cringe but will always get you thinking. I like that.
Mollyxxx
Molly – exactly, she does tell it well. Really entertaining, I thought. Sorry not to have met you, off to your blog for a lurk now!
Molly – back from your blog. Blimey!