carolyncordon

3.5% Famous – Aiming Higher!

March 30, 2019 carolyncordon

In my previous blog post, I wrote about fame. I was going to post some more about the subject, hoping to bring some more insight to the subject, but you know what? I’m struggling to find much in the way of insight here.

I am known to my family and friends, obviously. The people who live near me know who I am, and may or may not know that I am a writer – I expect most of them neither know, nor care about what kind of books I write, or what the content of my blogs is all about.

Certainly some of my neighbours, and people living in the town close to the townlet I live in, know that I and the editor of the monthly newsletter I publish and distribute around town and beyond, every month. And I’ve been on the ABC, talking about things I and members of the writing group I lead, are doing, and so some people will have heard me doing that.

That’s not fame though, not like authors who are published by big publishers, who give them thousands of dollars in royalties, and take them on country-wide speaking tours … The closest I get to anything like that, is to drive myself to the radio station I’m a volunteer presenter at every fortnight or so, and they’ve interviewed me a couple of times, when I’ve self-published another book …

I do still get royalties for a book I had published by a children’s educational publisher, quite a few years ago. My most recent payment was possibly the smallest one yet, but my book is still out there, being sold. I also have books in (school) libraries, and have received payments from that. That isn’t fame, but it’s being known, which is kind of the same thing, in a way, isn’t it? I think it is.

At the moment, I have a book I’m reading off and on, by an English person, Caitlin Moran. The book is cleverly titled “Moranifesto”, and is full of amusing and thought provoking things.

One of the thing she writes about there is fame (how coincidental is that?), and she says she is 35% famous. Based on what she writes in her book, I suspect I am around 3.5% famous …

I’m thinking about possible ways to lift my percentage, so that’s a start, well it’s better that sitting on my bum thinking about nothing … I’m going to be seeing some friends tomorrow, and if I remember, I will ask them for some ideas about possible ways I could up my fame percentage … The three people I am thinking about all have higher percentages than I currently have, I would think. We’ll see how those discussions go.

In the meantime, I will post this to my Author Website/Blog, and see if I can get more that a couple of people looking at it, and maybe even leaving a comment … I do enjoy writing though, so it’s not like sitting here on this sofa tippity-tapping away on the keyboard is an onerous task for me, I love doing it.

Writing and talking, playing words, that is certainly one of the funnest things to do, for me. If you ever need a speaker, look me up, I’m 3.5% interesting, and can be quite funny too, and at the moment, my speaker fee is low!

Public Speaker

On Being Well-Known

March 27, 2019March 29, 2019 carolyncordon

When (or if) a person becomes well-known, or famous, they may face new duties they hadn’t considered previously. And there isn’t really any training in how to handle these duties, because each well-known person may be well known for different reasons, and in different ways.

Everyone, though should know what is a good thing to do, and really, that’s what all of us should think on, famous or not. The better known a person is, the more responsibilities they may have put on them, like it or not, but they may also have more money, and can afford to off load some of those responsibilities.

This would certainly take off some of their pressure, but there will always be some tasks only one person can do, and if you’re that person, you owe it to everyone to do your best. You owe it to yourself too, of course, and nobody gains good things for being infamous, rather than famous. Infamy may bring notice, but not in a good way.

If I go into my local town, many people will say hello Carolyn to me, and I’ll say hello back. I’ll name them if I do know their name, but often I won’t know. I’ve been closely involved in this town for over ten years, as the editor of the local newsletter, and many townspeople know me in that role.

Some of them also know I am a writer and poet. Is this fame, am I famous? No, I don’t think so – in that town, I may be well known, but calling ‘famous’ is going too far. I am known in other places too, in my role as poet and writer, as President of my writing group, where I lead the way to some events that are become more and more ‘known’.

Being well known gives a person a bit of an audience, a range of others who will listen to what you say. Certainly, my most recent writerly ‘thing’ being the judge of a poetry competition came about because I was known as a poet who knew what she was doing, regarding poetry, to the relevant person.

I am very small biscuits though, on the ‘famous writer’ list of people to talk about, or listen to. I would get a publicist, if I had the money to pay for one, but if I could get the money to pay for one, I would have proved I was capable of doing the job myself, and my Methodist mind set would tell me I shouldn’t pay money for it, if I could do it myself … It’s a bit like the old ‘which came first the chicken or the egg’ story …

Things happen when they happen, I will continue with my writing, my blogging, attending/running/being involved with poetry and writing things. It’s what I do, it’s what writers do – we write and if we are good enough or lucky enough, we may finally write the ‘big thing’ that makes us famous!

Do I dream of fame? Oh yes, fame, requests to speak at events, having opportunities to sell and sign my books, these are on my list of things I’d like more of. Will it happen though? Who knows, all I can do is keep on writing, become better at putting the word out about who I am and what I do. Being well known is gratifying, being famous, oh, yes, that would be great!

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Dealing with Possible Enemies

March 24, 2019 carolyncordon

I was on Facebook recently saw someone labelled as a “(political party) hack” in a dismissive way, and it made me think a little bit about all of the people who are my friends on Facebook. My first thought, on reading this particular well-known person labelled in this way, was to think I would delete the one who wrote the comment, which I strongly disagreed with, and thought it to be untrue and quite rude. After some thought though, I’m not going to do that.

I have quite a few friends on Facebook. Some of them are people I actually know, and are friends with ‘in real life’, others are fellow writers I connect with on this site. Some others are people who have written something interesting, and I ‘friended’ them.

But thinking further, I remember the words, probably from Niccolò Machiavelli: “Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.” And of course if one keeps an eye on what your ‘enemies’ are doing you are likely to keep safer than if you have no idea about what they are up to.

I don’t think I actually have any real ‘enemies’ though, anyway, so I’m not going to unfriend anyone, at the moment. I will remain in a peaceful place, and contemplate puppy dogs and plants, and keep an eye on the clouds in the sky, and get the washing in before it’s too late!

The washing is all in now, and I’m comfortable with my decision on this matter. There are certainly people I don’t like, for various reasons, and I suppose there are people who feel the same way about me. I’m fine with that. I know I have wonderful people who care deeply about me, a well as family who love me.

And of course my dear dog Missy loves me, as dogs will love their owners if the food and other comforts keep on coming, every day!

A fuzzy but hopeful Missy in the kitchen, hoping for good things from her lord and master, my husband, Graham! (this is the first photograph I’ve taken of Missy using this laptop my son gave me, it’s still a work in progress, this handy but confusing machine …)

If dogs don’t like each other, they don’t hide it, they let their hatred show in very obvious ways. Snarling, growling, show teeth, and in fact attacking, make it all quite clear how dogs feel about others. At the moment, we have a bit of an issue in our family, with Missy and another dog.

This ‘other dog’ is our son’s dog, and Missy really doesn’t like her. The other dog seems like she would be happy enough to be Missy’s friend, but our dear dog isn’t having it. She doesn’t like Sharon, or Shazza to her friends … This other girl dog is a greyhound, a very, very tall one, black in colour and a very friendly dog to people. I think she’s a bit too friendly, as she licks a lot, and we aren’t used to having dogs who do that.

It would be nice if these two dogs could become friends, but I’m not sure if it will get to that stage. Missy is the older of the two dogs, but Sharon, with her size is quite imposing. I think Missy’s issue is that she’s a bit scared of the bigger dog, and she isn’t used to that. Missy has lived with other dogs in the past, but they have been family members, or an older dog that was already there, when Missy was born here.

We are letting these two dogs get to know each other, with occasional visits, and who knows what may happen. Missy is certainly remaining aware of her where her ‘enemy’ is, when Sharon visits, and Sharon happily lies down for a rest, keeping an eye on whatever is happening here.

Dogs can be odd, at times, but they are honest with it, and easier to understand. People can be downright nasty, even though they are playing at being a dear friend. Like Missy, I’ll keep an eye on the one isn’t really my friend, who I mentioned at the beginning of this discussion, and just remain there, but not too close, unless they say something that affects me.

Being a writer, and Editor of the local town newsletter means I talk to many different people and I need to be at least pleasant to people, if and when I need help from them so I can do the things I need to do. I try to stay neutral if possible, if things go ‘sideways’, and wait until I have enough information to make up my mind, and always remaining prepared to change my mind if I get new information.

Some people though! Some people can make it difficult to remain pleasant at times, that’s for sure!

Have you ever had to deal with a person who was an enemy? Some tips would be handy!

Public Speaker

Making Myself Proud

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 carolyncordon

I can’t verify whether I actually save that much carbon with my actions, or whether guarantee I actually did all of these things but we did make lots of our own power, used cold water to wash, and our clothesline to dry our clothes.

Lots of the other things are things we do every day too. We grow some of our own food, we have lots of trees, we reuse things. We’re trying. Are you doing any of these things too? I’d love to hear about any ideas you may have.

We have cut back on the amount of meat we eat, especially red meat. But I’m very aware there is much more that we could do at our place …

I think it’s important to find the good things in my life, in the things I do, and I know spreading these things with others can help others to do more of the same kinds of things too. Being open and honest with people about what we do, can have good results!

ACTIVITY	SAVING IF COMPLETED
Generate your own solar electricity	776 kgs
Wash clothes in cold water & dry on the clothesline	17 kgs
Turn your garden bed into a mini-farm to grow your own food	8 kgs
Turn off lights, phone chargers, electronic equipment when not in use	8 kgs
Say ‘NO’ to wasteful packaging, plastic bags and bottled water	12 kgs
Reuse everything you can & save money by avoiding over-consumption	10 kgs
Reduce what you buy and always ask: Do I really need this?	17 kgs
Reduce wasting food by managing it better every day	13 kgs
Recycle Recycle Recycle… At Home, School and Out	20 kgs
Recycle at home or away to avoid wasting resources	25 kgs
Put veggie scraps in worm farms, Bokashi buckets or composters	6 kgs
Plant trees to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere for everyone	5 kgs
Look after vehicles & drive steady to cut fuel use by 10% or more	19 kgs
Install low-energy lights wherever you can in your home	0 kgs
Growing Thing… Gardening Is Good	8 kgs
For regular meat eaters cutting out 1 red meat meal each week	16 kgs
Eat Natural… It’s Greener and Good For You Too	20 kgs
Dress For The Weather… Hot Or Cold	14 kgs
Do shopper research on carbon footprint before you buy	17 kgs
Clothing Exchange… Do The Swap Thing	8 kgs
Buy local, fresh and in-season when you shop for fruit and veg – see more	13 kgs

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Trying to Write in Time of Upset

March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 carolyncordon

Today, many people are still trying to come to terms with the horror of the shocking murderous attack on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday. The pain that something this terrible could happen, but to know the chief assailant was an Australian person makes it more shocking, because it feels like a personal hurt.

I have been thinking I shouldn’t neglect my blogging, but it doesn’t feel right just now to post something that would seem ‘fluffy’, and when there are important things to think and write about.

I feel for the loved ones of all of the innocent people who died, and for the people of Christchurch as they are trying to better understand how such an awful thing could happen to them. Forty-nine people dead, one (Australian) person arrested, two others taken in by the police too. What is happening in our world, that things could come to this?

I am not a Christian person, nor a Muslim, I profess to no religion, but would say I was an Atheist, if asked. This does not mean I hate people who believe in a divine being, at all, people can believe in anything they want to, as long as nobody gets hurt.

And that, of course is what happened yesterday, a man who had toxic beliefs against Muslim people murdered them as they were worshipping, innocent people, who did nothing to deserve this. And the community of Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand certainly didn’t deserve this either.

I am incredibly impressed at the intelligent and caring way the Prime Minister of New Zealand has stepped up to bring people together in this time. Other leaders have spoken out about this too, and many of us are thinking more about our thoughts about this, our own possibly racist thoughts and ideas, whether we can help in any way.

In reality, simply thinking more about the implications of this, and trying to find other people in the future, these could lead to good things for us all. On person who touched me in particular was Waleed Aly, a person of the Muslim faith. He is an Australian writer, academic, lawyer, media presenter and musician, and does some serious thinking about life and the big questions there are that we can all be affected by.

He said he will continue to go to his own place of worship, as he does every Friday. I wish him and those he loves well, and am so glad there are intelligent people out there who can speak intelligently about these things.

When I think about big ideas, I like to have as many opinions about them as I can, so I can find the ones who most see to the core of issues. Waleed Aly is definitely one of those people for me. I sometimes listen to him speak on the ABC Radio National when he and another philosopher talk, or see him on The Project on TV. Having these people to see and listen to adds to my understanding.

If you have any media people whose opinions you value, I’d love to hear more about them – feel free to leave a comment and I can check them out, as others can, who come here too.