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My Non-time of Running for Office.

carolyncordon

I’ve run for office once. It was a local government election, and I thought, hey, I could do that, I’m clever, I care. I should be elected as a councillor for the Mallala local government elections. I lost.

And while there may have been a little bit of disappointment there, about losing, mostly I was glad. Well maybe not at the time, but afterwards, yes, for sure. I am interested in my community, and I like to help my community, but I’m interested in so many things that don’t have a lot to do with the community, but more to do with my other communities.

Because I’m a writer. Words, books, other writers, other places where words are celebrated, read from, written. These are also my community. And I write for the community of Mallala, as it was then, Adelaide Plains Council, as it is now, from the side. I don’t live in the town of Mallala, i just live near the town of Mallala. It’s a different thing.

At the new Mallala camping ground

I drink coffee there, I dine in there, I get takeaway there. My son went to school there. I edit a newsletter for the people there. but I do it about Mallala, not from within Mallala. I love the place, many people there appreciate what I do for them, but … I wasn’t born there, I moved there, and while I have family ties to Mallala, they are faintly tied fragile ribbons tying me to the place.

And then, another local government election came, and I know I would have had a much better chance of being elected this time. Many more people know who I am, and being the Editor of the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, and many people in Mallala and surrounds knowing me in that role, that would have brought in votes. Probably easily enough votes.

But my community is so much broader than just Mallala, my hopes and dreams broader than just Mallala, just Adelaide Plains Council. Instead of running for office, I’m running for the hearts and minds of readers, poets, writers, I’m running for a place in the canon of valuable words.

And it feels like I’m almost there, no need to count votes, my place there is solid, I’m in!

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Launching Other Poet’s Books

carolyncordon

Having friends who are poets, and being considered to be a person who knows more than just ‘a bit’ about poetry, as evidenced by having several poetry books published, means you may sometimes be asked to launch the books of other poets. This can be a wonderful and humbling feeling.

I know that is how I feel about it, for sure. I’ve been asked, in the past, to launch books, and the most recent occasion is ‘pencilled in’ to happen at the end of September. This will be the launch of a friend’s book. He is the poet, John Malone. I hope Covid constrictions will remain not too tight, but still tight enough to keep us all safe. Because I really want that event to happen, but don’t want anyone getting sick.

And speaking of John, my fellow poet, here below is a poem I’ve written today. It began as a response to something John wrote recently on his own blog, which I replied to there. It also prompted some thoughts poetically expressed, and wandering around in odd directions. Today seems to have been ‘one of those days’, when weird or at least ‘odd’ things seem to be the way.

Do you ever have days like that? Spring is coming, the plants know it, and it shows, but it’s cold outside, and looks like more rain, some time. I have a new car and have barely driven it. I want a coffee, and haven’t got it yet, Me?! Coffee is my favourite and best food group! I know the venue where that book launch is going to take place has great coffee, it was an important point when our writing group, or at least me, decided to make the Prince Albert Hotel our venue of choice, and hold our weekly meetings, and other events there.

I’ve held my own book launches there, and will do so in the future, I’m sure. A good book launch is best if there is adequate seating, so people can comfortable listen to the speaking that goes with a book launch. The reading of works from the book is important, so those present can get a ‘taste’ of what is inside the book.

The launcher will say things they like about the book, then the writer of the book will say thank you, and probably read something as well. Then people can buy themselves a copy of the book, and get it signed by the author/poet. There will be food and drinks, and much conviviality (and social distancing, of course).

And so to that poem:

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In Response to what John wrote …

The question came – I thought, and sat.
Is it metaphor or is it cat?
If feline it was, displayed in word
then rightly it was, when said it purred.

But if metaphor, without tail or fur
is it right to mention there was a purr?
I wondered, what’s the truth of that?
My mind, confused, landed, splat!

I think I’ll leave it as it is
the words are someone else’s biz.
I’ll creep away, like I wasn’t there
and settle down under this chair.

No-one will see me, if I don’t move
and if not seen, no-one can prove
I was even there, so it’s not my fault,
so to this discussion, I now say halt!

If words don’t say, but merely allude,
it’s like giving vapour, instead of food.
Understanding levels sink down, shallow –
fields of thought lay ever fallow …

Say what you mean, and mean what you say,
hold muddled thought always at bay,
to be considered wise, instead of dim.
Think first, don’t utter words on a whim.

I hope I can follow my own wise words,
not seem I’ve headed ‘off with the birds’.
Mind you, if they’d have me, I’d gladly go
off with the birds, to learn what they know …

Now I’m the one who sounds a dill!
I’ll shush up soon, honest I will,
climb out of these holes in which I’m falling
So goodbye all, coffee is calling!

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a cuppa had at the Mallala Hotel

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Skipping Between Genres

carolyncordon

Writers write, it’s what they do. Sometimes they might write short stories, or articles, novels even, and at other times they might write poetry. Many writers go from one kind of writing to another, happily or not so happily, for a variety of different reasons.

I’m not an employed writer, I write for myself, and for possible publication, but I don’t have a boss watching over me, telling me what to write. So if I feel like writing a poem, I can do that, and if I feel like working on my novel, I can do that.

I am the editor of a newsletter for the town on Mallala, but that is a position I took on myself, and though I try make the newsletter as good and professional looking as possible, it’s a completely volunteer role, and I do it simply because I enjoy doing it.

I do get paid for some of my writing-related activities, but that’s from sales of my books, or payment for presenting workshops. And of course, those lovely ‘passive income’ items, royalties, and Educational Lending Rites, that arrive in my bank account at their allotted times.

So, I write for myself, when and what I want to write, but of course, some of the time, I suspect I choose one writing form, because I’m avoiding the writing of another. This is what happened today, I think. I’d just finished my breakfast, and was in that, thinking about the day to come mode, and flicking through my emails. I saw an email about Charles Bukowski, and followed the link to his poetry, which I read of poem of, and an idea for a poem arrived, so I wrote that poem.

I quite liked the new poem, so I edited it a bit more, and then promptly put it on another of my blogs, my second favourite one, the one about dogs and the garden. This is where the poem is, and a little bit about the writing of the poem. It’s a bird poem, but a Covid-19 related poem too.

You’ll find it here

Of course, all of this poem writing, and blogging ‘stuff’ I’m doing today, is actually procrastinating, because I’m putting off getting back into writing some more of my novel. I had a good day yesterday, adding almost 2,000 more words to my Cosy Murder Mystery “Hot Winds of Death At Talloola”.

I know I’m not the only writer who does this, but I wonder why we do it? Getting in the ‘flow’ is a wonderful place to be, the time when the words are flowing beautifully,and you can sit and write for hours, barely getting a word wrong. I was there yesterday, why wouldn’t I want to be there again today?

I suspect it’s because I fear the words might not be as wonderful, as they felt. Fear can be a word killer, for sure, at times. You have to keep on though, face the fear, and do it anyway. No, make that I have to face the fear, and do it anyway.
You can do whatever you want!

But back to the beginning of this blog post – the skipping from piece, to piece, to piece isn’t slacking off, because a poem a lovely new poem, has come into the world, and been read by at least one other person already. And two blog posts will have been written, and once I finish this, and my lunch, some more words of my novel will be written today.

Definitely!

I’d love to know what you think about these thoughts. And don’t forget to check out that new poem too!

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On Adding More Words

carolyncordon

Adding more words to a novel, especially if you are one of the panster types of novelists, can bring interesting ideas to your work, that’s for sure. And even if you have a plan, instead of opting for the ‘by the seat of your pants’ method of novel writing, the story and your characters can still bring interesting new things to what you thought was going to happen.

Today I’ve had a great day of adding a lot of new words to my first Cosy Murder Mystery book, ‘Hot Winds of Death At Talloola’, and I seem to have moved slightly away from where I thought I was going. It still feels good though, and in keeping with the pain thrust of what the story has to be.

An accident near Talloola perhaps?

This image was from a truck rollover near the rail way crossing, just south of Mallala, but I could easily use some of the details in a storyline of a cosy murder mystery story … Who was driving? How did it happen? What were the real reasons?

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I’ve never written a novel in this genre before, but I feel like it’s something I’m capable of doing, and I love the idea of being a writer of that kind of book. I used to love Agatha Christie books as a child, and as an adult have explored other murder mystery stories, some Australian ones, and others from other countries.

The idea of creating this kind of stories, happening in a ‘village’ of my own devising appealed to me, and I’m enjoying learning more about my characters, as I write the story. Today, two of my characters began plotting something, but I have no idea what it is … They’re friends to my main character, so it should end up OK for her, but until I write about it, tomorrow, I hope, I don’t know what it might be.

Anyway, I have an idea on what it might be about, even if my amateur sleuth, Meredith, has no idea. This is what makes the pantster style so much fun, things pop into the book and you follow the path to where it leads. And if it heads off into a strange direction, well red herrings are all a part of writing murder mysteries. That, and subplots, to add depth to both characters and the story.

Today I added nearly two thousand words to the story, and that feels like a useful chunk of words. Will I write more tonight? Who knows, and will I write a similar number again tomorrow, again, who knows. There will be a few ‘real life’ things going on tomorrow, important things totally unrelated to this book. So life will go one, even if Winds of Death At Talloola doesn’t tomorrow.

Just half an hour is enough time to write, the time it takes for a forgotten cup of coffee to achieve lukewarm status, as it sometimes does, when I’m writing on my laptop, and the story is more important that the coffee. There’s always the microwave to heat up a cuppa, but those hot ideas, if they go lukewarm, may never be able to be warmed up again …

So I hope at least half an hour of my day, tomorrow will be spent on ‘Hot Winds …’ I’m enjoying the challenge of finding the story, here, very much. And if you enjoy the writing, it shows, I hope so anyway!

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Adelaide Plains Poets ‘Vision’ poetry competition

carolyncordon

Open section winners

The winners of this poetry competition were announced on the final (and only) day of the Gawler and Adelaide Plains Festival of Words – VISION. The Festival was a much shortened thing, for the same reason that has affected many events this year, the dreaded Covid-19.

The Festival was going to be cancelled, and then postponed, but wonder of wonders, we cut it back to one afternoon, and with the full assistance of the venue, Prince Albert Hotel in Gawler, we were there, and we had events happen! And one of those events was the announcing of the winners of our competition.

And for those who were unable to attend, for obvious reasons, here are the winners of the Open Section:

Adelaide  Plains  Poets  

Poetry Competition  2020 – VISION

Judge’s  Report

I read the 88 entries in our competition looking for the most imaginative connection with the theme, “Vision”. There were many excellent poems submitted, however there were some which presented a broad vision capable of a universal application rather than simply a graphic description of a person or place. 

First Place:  Outside, Looking In – David Campbell

I have awarded first place to this poem, because it presented a powerful image of first nation peoples as if looking through a window at a more privileged class. This image conveys a strong message about our own land and is also applicable to the indigenous people of many lands. 

Second Place:  Sentinels of Stone – Jim Kent

This is an excellent rhyming poem which uses the image of one of the many war memorial monuments seen across our nation. It conveys deep feelings for the sufferings of those who have served in the armed services, giving a graphic vision of warfare and its aftermath for the foot soldier.

Third Place:  A Vision of Hell – Peter O’Shaughnessy

Another rhyming poem which uses the metaphor of a dragon to convey the terror of an approaching forest fire. In fact, a number of effective metaphors add to the drama and the feelings of the person viewing a catastrophic blaze.

Highly Commended:  Seer – Shaine Melrose

This poem takes the reader deep into the emotions of a suffering child whose feelings and hoped for release are well described. It is very relevant to our present-day society.

Commended

I found it difficult to separate the following four poems, which are listed below, but not in any order of merit.

Breaksea Light – Janice Wiliams

In the villanelle form, this poem uses the Breaksea Light as an effective anchor point and conveys the sense of dislocation felt by soldiers setting out for battlefields far away. 

Reading Between the Lines – Kerry Harte

The first three verses are brought into sharp focus in the conclusion. The ending brings the reader to a very real present-day issue.

Water Journey – Janice Wiliams

This vision of life is well described. I particularly appreciated the positive note on which the poem concluded.

Octopus Eyes – Gordon McPherson

An intriguing picture of a much-maligned sea creature which brings the reader to a telling appraisal of human nature. 

*Geoff Graetz Open Section judges

As the competition secretary, and President of Adelaide Plains Poets, I am thrilled we were able to rise up against Covid-19, and with help from my wonderful committee, hand sanitiser, and social distancing, we were able to announce the winners of this popular competition. And for a sneak preview, that was heard by attendees at this award presentation, the theme for the Adelaide Plains Poets poetry competition may well be this one: RECOVERY.

As with all things in life, this theme is subject to change, but rest assured, if I am able to do it, there definitely will be a poetry competition for 2021, and the winners will be announced at the Festival of Words that year! The actual entry guidelines and entry form will be available in early 2021.