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Writing Related News For Today

carolyncordon

My biggest writing related news for today is that I checked whether the copies of the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle had been printed yet. They were, and so after my visit to see my mother today, I headed south, picked up the copies and then headed north to deliver most of them and then go home.

I’ll be delivering a few more lots of the newsletter later on, and as appropriate, but the big deliveries are done, hooray! This newsletter has been going since 2004/05, coming out every single month, and it is getting bigger and better every year, I think! I am very proud of this newsletter, and the community loves what I do. Or some people do anyway, I know because they tell me so!

Other news for today – this is actually related to that newsletter, to some extent, I will explain. One of the things that I’ve been putting in each issue of the Crossroad Chronicle, is a little piece from a made up character, Buster the Dog. Buster is in three of my published books, that were illustrated by Allyson Hean. I imagine what Buster may be wanting to say to the people reading this newsletter, about all manner of things, current events, the weather, and random other things.

My idea was that if there are enough of these things already written, perhaps I could publish them all in a little chapbook, with the text on one side of the page opening, and an illustration connecting with the test on the other side … The unit cost of such a book would be about $3.50, or less, I would think, and I would sell the little books for $5 or $6 each, making a little bit of money, and sharing a little bit of fun, as will as spreading my name as a writer. Good idea or not? What do you think? The world needs a little more fun, and more words from a smart dog, surely?!

The dog on the cover of the book on the left, that is Buster the Dog.

I haven’t asked Allyson yet if she is interested in being involved in this project, but I will do so soon, and if she says yes, I will be sooo thrilled! uh oh, I just did a little checking, and there aren’t as many Buster the Dog pieces in back issue copies of the Chronicle as I’d thought … This means what? I’d have to write some random things to go in such a book, I suppose.

It’s OK, settle down, Carolyn – I re-checked the number, and I think there will be enough, actually. Numbers and I aren’t the best of friends, but I think I’m right with this one. And hey, if there aren’t enough already, this project will take a while to accomplish, and I write a new one every month these days, and I’m thinking up to 20 of them will be a good number.

And to finish off, my most exciting news is that I am the presenter of a writing workshop and am the guest poet for the March Gawler Poets at the Pub event, happening next Sunday (28 March 2021). I have the workshop worked out, with the relevant hand out printed, as well as having copies of the entry form and guidelines for the poetry competition Adelaide Plains Poets have happening now, and until 2 July 2021, when entries for the competition will close.

The theme for this competition is “Recovery”, and the entry form, and guidelines, are on this blog, look around, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find. And if it is, leave me a message, and I can send a copy to you!

So, a big word related day, with many more to come!

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Being a Writer, The Hardest Part

carolyncordon

I am a writer, I’ve named myself that for a good few years now, and at the beginning, it felt a bit presumptuous, but I’m over that now. I write, therefore I am a writer. And I now have eight published books to my name, and three other books on their way to being sent off to get printed, or considered by a publisher. So yes, I am definitely a writer.

Being a writer, is a title I am happy to admit to. Sometimes getting the needed words written, and written well enough can be difficult, and other times getting the time to write what you want to write can be difficult too.

some of my books

But if I put my mind to it, and commit to getting a good bit of writing down, it can flow, and flow well. I’m fortunate in that I don’t need to have a paid job, so finding writing time is relatively easy, most of the time, if not always.

But in my mind, for me, the hardest part about this whole writing thing is to get the word out about my books and writing to other people … If I was a business person, I would send out, or have my ‘people’ send out press releases, telling of my most recent product or service. If I was a sportsperson, journalists would write articles about me, and come begging for interviews with me.

But I’m not any of those things, I’m a writer, and though ‘being a writer’ can rightly be called a business, it is also an art, and art and business only mix uneasily, it seems to me. The idea of marketing oneself, and what a writer has done, as a business may market their new ‘whatsit’, feels like cheapening the ‘art’ side of what a writer does. Typing out all of those words, to produce a book is not simply churning any old words, they must be the best words possible.

So struggling to make the best ‘art’ possible and putting that literate side of what a writer does is a difficult, but it is also the most enjoyable part of things too, when the words flow, and what you are doing feels just so right, so special, so what you must do … Writing isn’t just a job, it is a calling, and if a writer isn’t writing, they are often thinking about their writing, and wishing they could be sitting down and writing … It feels like the thing they love to do, the best thing in the world, when it is going well!

That part of it is wonderful, making art from words, who wouldn’t want to do that, I know it is one of the best things there is in the world, for me, I love it! The other part, having to deal with the piece of writing I have created, finding the best home for it, whether poem, article, short story, or book, selling my ‘art’ as one would sell a commodity, that is the bit that doesn’t come naturally.

So really, the hardest part is stepping back, taking off the ‘writer’ hat, and putting on the ‘marketer’ hat, and selling that book to a publisher, and then selling those published books to book buyers! That is what I think anyway. I would love to read what other writers think about all of this. I love books, I adore signing copies of my books, and talking about books, I just find the part about actually finding ways to sell those books to invisible ‘others’ difficult … And advice bout this would be most welcome!

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Recovery, What a Huge Topic …

carolyncordon

And that huge topic is the theme for the Adelaide Plains Poetry competition for 2021. Entries are open, and will close in early July, with winners being announced in late July, during the Gawler and Adelaide Plains Festival of Words, which has the same theme as the competition.

I’ve been seeing the terrible images on the TV screen about the floods in eastern coast of Australia, and there is sure going to be some big recovery work that will have to happen there! Or what about recovery from an injury, the birth of a child, or the death of a loved one. Some big life stories there too.

There are many other options that could relate to the theme of recovery, have a think and send in your entry, and you may be in with the winners, and have the chance to read your work at our Festival, if Covid allows. And isn’t that another big theme relating to Recovery, getting over, recovering from, this horrid Covid virus!

The entry form and guidelines for this competition are below. Please take a look and enter, if you want to!

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc.

POETRY COMPETITION 2021

‘RECOVERY’

1st, 2nd & 3rd cash prizes, plus Highly Commended & Commended certificates as awarded by judge. Total prize pool over $700

ENTRY GUIDELINES

Work entered in this competition must be original, in English, unpublished and not have won a prize in any other competition. Authors retain copyright.

Theme ‘Recovery’ – Poems entered must in some way refer to the theme

Open Class – poets 18 years & older

Junior sections – Primary School student (one poem only), Secondary School student (one poem only)

To maintain anonymity, entrant’s name should appear on entry form only, not on poems. Entry forms are to include entrant’s name, address, phone number, titles of poems submitted.

Entries should be typed, on one side of paper only, one poem to a page

Poems to be no longer than 60 lines

Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter

Junior classes – no entry fee, only one poem per student

Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc

Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340 (please give poet’s name with electronic payment)

Entries to: Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502

Entries to be posted by close of business 2 July 2021 – entries received after this date may not be considered for the competition.

Authors should retain a copy of their work

For further details contact: Competition secretary, Ms C Cordon 

at 0418 806 490, kittycordo@gmail.com 

*******************************************************************

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc. POETRY COMPETITION 2021

‘RECOVERY’

ENTRY FORM

Name…………………………………………………Phone…………………………………

Address……………………………………………..………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Email……………………………..……………………..

Title of poem/s – ……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……..……..

……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……………

……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……………

 (use back of page for additional entries) 

Entrants’ names or other details must not appear on poems

Declaration by author: I agree to comply with the Entry Guidelines and declare that the written work submitted in my name is my own original work and has not been copied in part, or in full, from any other source.

Author’s signature………………………………………………date……………………

Date of birth (if entering a junior section) ……………………………….………………………… 

Secondary School or Primary School – Circle to indicate which section, for Junior sections

Name of school (if entering junior sections) ……………………………………..………….……………………..    

Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter 

(OPEN CLASS ONLY – NO FEE FOR JUNIOR ENTRIES)

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – 2 July 2021

Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc, and sent with entries to Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502

Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340

Authors should retain a copy of their work, entries will not be returned without provision of a stamped self-addressed envelope, and a written request.

***************************************************************************

It is still preferred to receive entries via snail mail, but other arrangements may be ok, but contact me about it first, please. I consider receiving these entries in my letter box in the months and weeks then days before close of entries is one of my rewards for doing this volunteer role as Competition Secretary!

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Making Plans, Mind and Body …

carolyncordon

I have things happening, in my life, good things, relating to my life as a writer. Some of these include a new poetry collection almost ready to be submitted for possible publication, the Covid-19 related anthology I requested pieces for, and is getting ready to be published by me. And another thing is the Cosy Murder Mystery I’m writing.

There are issues of the mind, my mind, that have had a little misstep recently, and caused me a little angst, but I’m working on that, and it’s OK, if not fantastic. I suspect I’m too accustomed to my life cruising along well these days, and the little ‘speed bump’ I had to travel over may have ‘discombobulated’ me, somewhat … The rest of my life is looking good still, though, and that is enough, for me, for now.

And one thing I’m extremely pleased about is that I am sticking with my exercise program, and have added a new exercise that I hope I will be able to keep on with, for as long as we have the lovely mild weather South Australia is having at the moment. This exercise is one that really gets my heart pumping!

All of these things are important, so I’ve begun leaving notes about some of them on my calendar, particularly notes about my weight, and details about what exercises I have done every day (if I actually do any, which I’m happy to say I have been doing!)

It would probably be a good idea to look more closely to the actual ‘writing’ part of my life, to help me keep on track with getting everything happening … The poetry collection and Covid anthology, they’ll get done, for sure, but this novel, even though I’m still getting little snippets written, that isn’t adding enough words (or story) happening.

When I had the idea to write a Cosy Murder Mystery novel, and in fact become a Cosy Murder Mystery writer, I get so excited about it! I came up with an amateur sleuth, and a little town for her to solve her murders in, and some other characters too, to fill the town. It all felt so much fun, and I came up with a sizable list of book titles (20 of them), with a little bit about what each of the books would be about.

So tick, tick for that, but sadly, this first book is taking longer to move along than I’d hoped. And I now thinking, is this fact a sign that I’m not committed enough to my new life as a Cosy Murder Mystery writer? Is the idea of it more interesting than actually doing it? These are questions I’m going to have to consider, if I’m going to get this first book written, read by first reader (s) and submitted somewhere.

In the meantime though, life is good, my watched my son doing his sport today, and he bowled well (I love watching lawn bowls!). His rink won, but the other two rinks lost, one of them by a large amount, so he has to play again tomorrow, to keep in the finals. They’ve had a good year, and it will be awesome if they can win the grand final, happening in a couple of weeks.

At the Mallala Bowling Club, earlier in the year

I’m being more physically active, myself too, and my weight is sort of heading in the direction I want it to go (lower, just a little bit weight to lose …) I’ve been weighing myself every day, too, and I realise worrying about a few hundred grams of weight is silly, so I don’t worry about it.

I do bear it in mind though. I have a target weight in mind and once I get there, or closer to it anyway, I’ll make sure to keep on with the exercises, because they are helping me to keep moving. My medication is too, of course, and the healthy and nutritious food I usually eat. And of course, having a positive attitude in life is an important factor as well.

I have lots of great things, the bad ones are under control, I have good things on their way to look forward to, and life is good!

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A Little Memoir-style Writing

carolyncordon

Exercise Report, written while resting afterward, pondside: 2,086 extra steps done, (1,049 metres walked). So, I’ve done my steps, mostly outside, around the driveway ‘walking track’, and then up and back the back veranda, down the little easterly path and back, and around and around the pool. Now I’m sitting by the pond. Checked heart rate, 72 beats per minute, so up a bit, but not enough to make a huge impression in calories burn rate, from memory. It’s pleasant here though, fountain not going, because of shade, but still nice to sit here anyway, with green duckweed covering the pond, and the three remaining pants, of the four purchased recently, poking up from their pots in the water down below.

And now I hear a Crow, or is that Raven, caw caw or is that agh agh? And gone. Various cheeps and chirps from smaller birds, and somewhere further away, a Spotted Turtledove with its call, twhit toowoo, twhit toowoo … And still a Crow/Raven calls, warning? Summoning? Only the other Crows(or Ravens) really know the answer to that one. Now little black and white visitors, somewhere close, I hear but can’t see any of them, except in my mind’s eye, Willie Wagtails wagging their sassy long tails, and calling in their usual way, “sweet pretty creature”, and yes they are, very sweet and pretty creatures!

Feeling cooler now, the pond area shaded by the Peppercorn tree right next to where I’m sitting. It’s a pleasant little area, been created for me to rest, and ponder life, and perhaps gain ongoing inspiration to bring good things to my life. There are exercise options here as well, the railway sleepers to do step ups on, and the area to walk around, both the smoother space created by the landscape worker, and the rest of the back part of our place, not as smooth and tidy, but not too bad. I have to be careful of the rocks though, so many small rocks, waiting to trip me up!

‘Shade’ tree

I’ve checked my heart rate again, it’s slowed to 68 beats per minute, and it will go down to around 62, I would imagine – that’s my usual rate. And now, time to go back inside. The Galahs are out there, flying around, getting on with their day, and the mozzies (mosquitoes) are down here with me by the pond, and they’re trying to suck my blood! I sure don’t want that to happen, so Ooroo!