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Too Much Thinking, Or Just Enough …

carolyncordon

I am a writer, poet, blogger, editor, and I like to think about things, all kinds of things. My most current bit of thinking has been prompted by the seeming avalanche of fake news, false beliefs and so one, constantly to us, presented in the media. There’s hardly any way to escape the lies and mistruths.

Of course, if you do what I’ve done for most of today, and just switch off the media, and with only a limited and careful time on Social Media, you are able to let your own brain feed you with things to consider, without agendas of others.

My own agenda is that I wish to be a very good and considered thinker, in the Stoic mode, working to think my way to wisdom, and being the best and wisest person I can be. It isn’t easy, but then, whoever said doing good things is easy? Sometimes it is, of course, if you ignore the bad dross that is even easier (in the short term).

So today, I saw something on Social Media, that led to some thoughts, and to a little bit more (but different) Social Media … A bit more thinking, considering, and a little researching and voila, a new poem has come into the world. This poem is an interesting poetic style, and I will write a little more about it, after I put the new, my new, poem up. Here it is:

Offering Grace to Fools – an Abecedarian

Amazement in the face of

Bewildering ignorance?

Can you turn it over, and

Discern failure of suitable

Evidence, a holding to

Falsehood, and find inside

Good (a morsel), that with

Help, and wise direction,

It may become, with that

Judicious assistance, a

Kind of wisdom still. To

Learn, to listen, to cast

Mind to truth of a wise few,

Not the rowdy unwise many.

Opening up their mind to

Perception, wisdom, and so

Quitting the easy spoon-fed

‘Reality’ of TV, read widely

Study widely too, understand

Too, that living life widely,

Unashamedly questioning

Various alternative opinions

Will bring new thoughts –

Xpunge stale past untruths

You’re better off without them,

Zero in on truths staying firm!

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As you can probably see, with this poetic form, the Abecedarian, is a poem of 26 lines, each line beginning with a particular letter, as they are presented in the alphabet. I cheated with the X, as I also often do with another poetic form dealing with particular letters in a particular way, the Acrostic poem.

Cheating, or not, I still quite like this particular poem. I’d love to know if anyone else finds the thoughts there interesting too. It is a part of Stoic thought, that one should try to do the best for the world at large, and assist those who are victims of ignorance, and assisting them to learn better ways is a good and Stoic thing to do.

And if the actions do not injure me, or others, or the world, and there is not a thing I can do to change them, then I will step away, and not trouble my mind with needless worry and stress. I will do my best, when and how I can. Best for the many, not just for me.

So those were my thoughts today. I wrote this poem, as my house was getting its first professional cleaning, first since we moved here anyway. I know this woman who is now my cleaner did a good job, even though the evidence isn’t immediately obvious. I know what she cleaned, and I also know how dirty it was …

Cleaning is not my strongest ability, but I am glad for what I know have, and will endeavour to maintain the some level of cleanliness, in the kitchen, anyway. Having a clean area, and with an inspired idea to assist with one particular ongoing issue, I hope the kitchen will not need such work from the cleaner next time. There are other areas in need of work …

And so that is my poetic work for today, and my ongoing house-work for the future.

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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!