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First Session – First Poem

carolyncordon

So, as I wrote in my previous blog post, I decided to write a poem while I was there, if I had time for it. I did, and the poetry form I chose was the Rondeau poem, at my first Writer in Residence session at Gallery 14 Hamley Bridge, South Australia. I explain a bit about it all in that other post. Back to that poem though, the main thing about the Rondeau poetic form, is that it’s a deceptive little poetic form, if you’re trying to get it exactly correct!

There are various points to get right, the rhyming scheme, and the rhythm, as well as the number of lines in each verse, and putting in the correct number of syllables for each line. These things are all very well, but sometimes the poem isn’t exactly perfect, and as was pointed out at the Rondeau Writing Workshop I recently attended, even Shakespeare didn’t always stick to the rules.

“Breaking rules is OK as long as you know which rules you’re breaking” is an oft repeated line! So having written that, I now present my Rondeau for your consideration. It isn’t perfect, but neither am I, nor you, nor you either! Poetry and perfection? Nah, Poetry and peeking through the rules and working toward making new things and making them as perfect as you can make them!

The presenter at that workshop, Margaret Clark, had written her own Rondeau, and presented another, much more famous one, and then we all had a go at creating one, with all present getting involved in that one poem. It was then tidied up by Margaret, and then sent to me, so I could share it with those attendees. All good stuff!

But that was Sunday just gone, getting back to my Writer In Residence event on MOnday just gone, here is my imperfect Rondeau, first draft written whilst at my Writer in Residence session, and edited a bit since, to try to get closer to perfection!

THE WRITER IS IN RESIDENCE
 
I'm sitting here, I'll wait; I wonder how I'll go -
The possie here is fine, my books all out on show,
but see that dog? Yes that one there, it's squatting as they do
when Nature calls and says it's time for them to do a poo.
Both dog and owner gone again, so no-one needs to know ...
 
But I'm a writer here, and I tell stories though -
Some stories flights of fancy, notions high and low,
and other tales more personal, they're painful ones and true.
I'm sitting here, I'll wait.
 
My writing brings me solace; sharing former woe
can bring a sense of calmness, over cups of joe -
For coffee, that inspires me, come share a cup or two -
It might well prompt some words or lines, results are up to you!
If not today, I'm back next week, some poems come so slow -
I'm sitting here, I'll wait ...
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Writer in Residence – First Session Done

carolyncordon

So my first session as the Writer in Residence at Gallery 14 is done, there’s a new poem come into the world as a consequence. I had a coffee there, delicious, and free, as is the deal. I sit there, with my books, writing and prepared to talk about my books and writing to anyone who drops by, even without the free coffee, this is a great gig!

The venue is in a good spot, things happening all around, various people dropping in at the cafe, and even if they don’t come and chat with me, they can see me there, and being present often enough will make me almost a resident, rather than just ‘in residence’ …

Wendy, who owns the venue, is supportive, and listened to me read the poem I wrote today, and seemed to like it, and she has put the word out online, about me being there, so maybe there will be even more things happening next Monday! And Wendy’s sister who writes screenplays was there, and we had a bit of a chat about that, which was interesting. I can see up both perhaps working on something together, you never know!

I’ll go online later today and see how things are looking, in terms of likes and shares and things, and who knows what may happen next week, because I will be there at that cafe every Monday morning, except for Public Holidays, with my books and prepared for going with the flow, whatever happens, I’ll be there happening too! I have a novel I’m writing, and a new poetry collection, and hey, I have books to sign too, if anyone wishes to have their own!

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Preparation is the Key!

carolyncordon

When having to do a new thing, being prepared in advance, knowing what to expect as much as possible, while being aware that the task may change, are important things. I have a new role I will be taking on from next Monday, that of the Writer in Residence at Gallery 14 in Hamley Bridge, a lovely small town not that far from where I live.

I’ve been to this cafe three times now, and discussed this role with the owner, and she is happy for me to be there, ‘Doing my thing’. I’ve been a Writer in Residence before, at a different cafe, and then at a hotel. The hotel ‘gig’ ended, and other things came along, but now I’m ready for this Writer in Residence ‘gig’ again!

Gallery 14 is a lovely cafe, good coffee and great food, and I’m looking forward to meet more people living in Hamley Bridge, and sharing news about what I’m there for, what I’m working on myself, and the things I could do with them, if they were interested. I can do creative writing workshops in a range of subjects, genre, and I will have a range of my own books with me, for people to look at and perhaps purchase.

I love talking to people, and am looking forward to it, very much. And if things are a little bit slow, I have two writing projects I can be working on. I have a novel I’m writing, and a new poetry collection too. Both of these are in the approaching halfway mark, and I hope to bring them closer to getting published stage, by the middle of the year would be nice, but before the end of the year will be close enough.

I have the text for a flyer I plan to leave at the Cafe, so people can read about me, and know who I am, and what I’m doing there. I will be at Gallery 14 in Hamley Bridge every Monday (except for Public Holidays) from 10.30am. I imagine I may be there for a couple of hours each time. This feels like a great thing to be doing!

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Use Your Moments …

carolyncordon

Our life can seem impossibly complicated and busy, sometimes. We might have dreams of doing something creative, something to enliven our spirit, rather than our bank balance for a change. The moments of our life can be used in creatively!

I’m a writer, my financial stability is based on my spouse’s input, mostly, but with regular assistance from the government in the form of the disability support pension, and an annual payment relating to Electronic Lending Rights for one of my books. These things don’t equate to a huge amount, but it all helps, and it allows me to do my writing, without having to worry about making money in an actual job, working for someone else.

But as a member of a household, I have a level of obligations, chores to perform, things I have to do. But I make sure there is time for my writer’s life too, because being a writer, is an important part of who and what I am. I produce books, I help others work with their own words.

There is much I want to accomplish, and I am getting there, step by step. At the moment my personal writing projects are writing my first Cosy Murder Mystery, and also putting together a new Poetry Collection based on thoughts about my new pond. The novel is progressing, as is the poetry collection.

Writing about these things is another way of keeping true to what I’m doing, putting the word out to others, so I know if I ‘slack off’, I will be seen doing it, and it serves to keep me on task. At the moment, it’s working. I know I will write at least 500 more words of my novel today, hopefully a lot more. And I know I will get more poems about my pond this week, and every week, until there are enough, working toward having the collection ready to be launched by the end of July this year.

I am able to spend hours working on these things, sometimes, but I am also aware of the little bits of time, when a thought may come to me, that I write down, where I can take it further when I can, when I have done enough of the most important things. My phone has many of these little notes, and I can then go back and use them to broaden out other things, slant them to fit into something else.

Moments, looking out of the window, wondering at the way the branches of the trees are nodding in time to the speaker on the television, right at now, the breeze a strong one, and the importance of the TV person’s words also a strongly held words. I’m sure there’s a poem in that, or perhaps a small thought of the protagonist of my novel …

Moments are times to write ideas such as these, snippets, thoughts, ideas, curious things. And out lives have many moments. Watching television may hold our attention, but the ad breaks, these are moments that may add to our writing, but adding to those snippets and things I’ve mentioned. When cooking a meal, there may be more moments, waiting for the water to boil, and the pasta to cook. Moments.

Life is an ongoing thing, when you look at it as a whole, but it is also a combination of many, many moments. And in our lives, we can waste so many of those moments, by sitting vacantly, being present but not really taking in anything. these are moments you can grasp and use.

Make every moment mean something!

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Book Sales Potential?

carolyncordon

There are many ways to get book sales, but unfortunately, nobody knows what they are!

So goes the joke, but the truth has some elements of the joke there too, and if you’re a struggling writer, trying to sell copies of your book, it isn’t so funny. I’m currently about to begin a gig as Writer In Residence, at a cafe in a small town, not that far from where I live.

——————————————————————-

Carolyn Cordon, Poet, Writer, Editor, Blogger, Writer In Residence

I am thrilled to now be the Writer in Residence at Gallery 14 in Hamley Bridge, sharing my own words, and helping others create their own words too. I will be there on Mondays (not Public Holidays), from 10.30am, starting on 1 February. My role at Gallery 14 will be to chat with people about my words, whether published works or current works in progress. I also intend holding writing workshops too, if there is a demand for it; I just love sharing words!

In any quiet moments, I will be working on my own current works in progress – a Cosy Murder Mystery novel (‘Winds of Death At Talloola’ the first in a series), and a new poetry collection (‘Pond-erings’) which is poetry collection about my new pond, and thoughts that come to me about it.

As a writer and poet, with eight published books (so far), I know how good it feels to share my words with others. And in my roles as a creative writing workshop presenter, and Poetry Competition Coordinator, which I’ve been for over ten years, I love giving others the opportunity to do the same. When you have me involved, beautiful words can happen!

Contact me:

Phone: 0418 806 490 

Email: kittycordo@gmail.com 

Blog: www.carolyncordonwriter.wordpress.com/blog

_____________________________________

That is the flyer I’ve created, and will soon give copies of it to the cafe where I’ll be doing my stuff, on Monday mornings from 10.30 (except for Public Holidays). I hope it might bring interest to what I am doing there, to my books, to the cafe, in terms of more business, and to sales of my books, of course. I’ll have copies of most of my published books with me, and hope to go home with fewer books than I went there with!

I was there the other day, and actually sold a book I’d brought along to a member of parliament who came into the cafe, and that was a good omen, I think. I’m going to accept it as one, anyway. I don’t really believe in such things though, I’m quite New Agey Woo-resistant in many ways.

As a joke regarding that, I posted this Twitter post to see if anyone would comment on it, because I wondered about the question, and because the question is a legitimate topic to write poetry about for that poetry collection – “Ponderings” I mention in the Tweet:

“Currently thinking about my Vibrational Frequency, and wondering whether a poem about the way I feel, or don’t feel it increasing as I sit by my pond, may assist in something enormous, like book sales of the poetry collection I’m currently working on. New Age = $$$$ right? Haha!”

Will this little Tweet lead to sales, who knows, but I was once told something like – you can never advertise your event too much, or something like that. The person who told it to me has spent many years in Theatre, selling the shows he was putting together, and he really knows his stuff. (thanks Martin Christmas poet/photographer/wonderful creative person) I love your work!

So I don’t know anything about my vibrational frequency, whether it is too high, too low, or too in the middle. The poem I write may be too flippant, too serious, or too in the middle too, who knows. But I’ll have many Mondays at Gallery 14, in Hamley Bridge to work on this poem, and the many others needed to make a poetry collection. I’m looking at it being a short collection, a chap book, which is a handy little size for a poetry collection, cheap to produce, light to carry, and if sold at $5 each, I’d still make a profit, if I sold enough of them.

And if I don’t sell enough of them? Well I hope other book sales will help even things out … Because this book will be a skinny little book filled with interesting poems, it will be easy to carry copies of it around with me, wherever I go, selling copies of the book for the cost of a cup of coffee!

Because everywhere a writer goes, is a place where they may find a keen buyer of their books. If you carry your books with your, you can whip one out, talk about it, smile nicely, and find another sale! I’ve done this at poetry readings of other poets, at writing group events, via my mother’s Retirement village where she lives, and a variety of other places. having a book there ready to go to it’s new home is the best clue to getting book sales.

Of course, there is the world wide web out there, but to be honest, I prefer to meet the potential buyer, chat with them, and then sell then a signed copy, where I’m able to strengthen the connection by writing something relevant, and personal inside the book. Connections are king!

Every moment might be a book selling moment! I wonder if my vibrational frequencies have increased, as I’ve been writing this blog post? Who knows, I don’t even know what they are. Any information would be most welcome, just don’t expect me to give you any money for it! Cheers and thank you!