Category: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

So the Word is Out …

carolyncordon

Today, I had a message on ‘Facebook’, the way it sometimes happens, and it was someone sort of assuming I’d do something, and it wasn’t something I really do, but it is, actually now. And because this thing seemed like an interesting thing to do, I went along with it, and said some things in reply, leading to more things back, and so it is, I am going to edit and publish, something else, someone else’s big idea thing, that is good, and community driven and absolutely fantastic, if it happens …

And part of my role is to help to make it happen, if the words come, and the story grows until the time has come for it to become a book … So it suppose it’s official, I am seen (at least by a few people) as the go to person to get a book published … At the moment, I do that as a self-published writer, doing my own thing with it all, in the best way I know how to do it.

And given I have eight books published, some self-published some not, I guess I have a fair idea about the ins and outs of publishing, in a small way. And if I wanted to make that a bigger way, not a small way, well, you learn by doing, don’t you? Step by step, doing more things, bigger things, spreading the word, and range, and bang, there you are, you’re doing it.

My first book was a bit of a joke-thing, there was an idea, and some words, and a person (Ally Hean), who was my friend, and she is a great illustrator, so we just put the words together with some of Ally’s illustrations, saw a printer and made it into a book, printing out copies of it and selling the books. After that first book, I made two more in a series, self-published a memoir and a poetry collection. I’ve had a school reader published, and two more poetry collections (the most recent one a chapbook).

Three of my books, the one on the right is the first one. “Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs”

As well as that writing, I’ve also been the editor of a newsletter for the town closest to my home, co-editing, then editing it, and getting it printed, for around fifteen years. I enjoy doing this and being involved with others to get their information out to other people living in and around that town (Mallala is the town, and the newsletter is the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle)

At the moment, I’m working on an Anthology, and am calling for submissions of poetry and prose from other poets/writers to feel a book of words about this Covid-19 pandemic. This is possibly my biggest writing project, and is already the one that involved the most people. I’m enjoying reading the various responses to this call, and am looking forward to getting it all put together and printed.

I’ve had people from my country, Australia submit work for this, as well as people from other countries. If you think this is an interesting project, and would like to be involved, send up to three poems of thirty lines or less, and/or up three pieces of to 3,000 words of prose (fiction or non-fiction), to me at kittycordo@gmail.com – I’d love to read your words, and if they’re acceptable, they’ll be included in the anthology. The title will be “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing in Response to Covid-19”.

This anthology-in-progress has taken up much of my time since I thought of the idea, and decided I wanted to do it. But now, today, in fact, a friend has asked me to be involved helping with a book project, one that sounds very interesting as well, but of a different genre … I’ll be writing some words for the book, and will be editing it too.

So yes, I’m a writer and poet, and I am definitely an editor as well. And the way my thoughts are going, I’m possibly going to become an actual publisher, rather than only a self-publisher … We’ll see how that goes. I can see this year and into the next is going to involve a lot of editing of other people’s words, as well as my own. And I like the sound of that, a lot!

Being a publisher though, will involve a lot of administrative work, and I don’t like that anywhere near as much. It isn’t anywhere nearly creative enough for my taste. Ah well, if that’s what it takes, I’ll have to do it, perhaps with others, not just myself … Life is made up of many things, and getting out one thing sometimes has to happen before a next thing happens, so it can work out well. I’m prepared for that.

Any advice about this Publisher thing though, will be happily and gratefully received!

meaning in life, Uncategorized, Writing

Finding Meaning …

carolyncordon

I’m finding some sense of control, as I work through putting together this anthology “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19”. I can do this one thing, and I can stay at home to do it, and that’s what I know how to do, staying home and putting words into order.

my view if I get off my bum and look … part of our front yard

It helps me to do this, and I hope it’s helping those who are getting working on it with me, writing their own story about how their life is right now. These are not good times. Stay safe, maintain your social distance with other people, wash your hands …

And if you write anything that relates to Covid-19, and would like to share your words with others, please consider submitting it to me!

My view out in the front yard again. I love these lovely tall pine trees, that the Galahs also love, when it’s time to check out the pine cones in the trees, to eat pine nuts.

As in the image just above, the creatures are going on with things, finding food and shelter where they can, and they’re not having to thing about this pandemic that humans are having to think about, and deal with. Animals have their own things to worry about, and that road just outside of our driveway, has often been a sad scene, when the Galahs are eating the pine nuts, from cones knocked down onto the road, and fall victim to a car. Life and death, right there …

It saddens me to see that, but well, we have to die from something, and chowing down on food you enjoy eating, would be a good enough time to die. It would be quick, and so painless, I hope. I wouldn’t want to die that way, and really, can’t see any point in thinking about how I may eventually die. I just hope it doesn’t happen for a long, long time.

But back to more positive thoughts. I hope we can get through this together, doing the best we can. And I want to catch up with friends again, and share hugs with them!

Uncategorized

Community Means So Much!

carolyncordon

Words, they’re our tools, aren’t they, for us writers? We wield them, wave, them, weave with them, making our message, our thoughts and ideas come forward in a way others can read, hear, understand, and if needed, action.

I am a writer, and poet, I write fiction and non fiction, some of my words are published, some not, or not yet. The words I write, or put together, from others, that give me the most satisfaction though, are the words inside a newsletter, the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle. I’ve been the sole editor of this for over ten years, spreading the news of Mallala around the town, and beyond.

Mallala is the closest town to where I live, only 6 km away, and I am glad to be doing this appreciated task for everyone. The Chronicle is also a fund-raiser for my writing group, and helps to pay the prizes for the winners of our national poetry competition. I’m also pleased that I am able to give writers I know, the opportunity to write articles for the Chronicle each month. Sharing in this way makes it easier for me, and better for them!

They don’t get paid for their articles, but they have the knowledge that the words they write, will be read by a willing audience. And isn’t that why we right? To have our words read? Getting those thoughts out of our heads and onto the page or screen that’s important too, but writers who don’t wish to have an audience for what they write are in the minority, I feel. Some writing can be written as ‘narrative therapy’ at first, but even if we never intended those particular words to ever be read by someone else, they so often have our strongest, and most compelling words.

This narrative therapy writing can help a writer to connect with a new community, a community of people who know the truth of what you were writing about, because they are suffering in the same ways you are. True connections made, and friendships can happen too, because sharing personal truth with another person, isn’t that what the best friendships have, deep down. They might wander off to coffee and cakes, but at the beginning are those true stories you’ve shared wither each other …

Coffee and churros, I was there with a true friend …

And now, speaking of true stories, takes me to the other reason I am writing this blog post. At the moment, in late April 2020, the world is largely in lock down, and working from home, unless their work is considered to be ‘essential’. Covid-19 is a virus that is more deadly than the flu, and has killed many people around the world. I had the idea that this was an important time, and the things, and ideas written at this time, would become historically important.

And so began “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses To Covid-19”. I began asking for writers and poets to submit their words about this, on this blog with this post, and things have gone on from there. I was just reading through my blog posts, looking for that one that I just put the link up too, and it was interesting reading them all. I was hovering on the edge of pausing my other writing project, not really wanting to get stuck properly into it, and then, Bang, the anthology took over.

That’s how it feels. This Plague Invasion anthology idea has taken over my life. Normal things are no longer possible, not in this lock down phase, but I can call for submission of creative writing relating to Covid-19, for sure. It seems to have stepped up as the most important thing I can do write now. Writers are those who have a need to write, and editors are the people who work to help writers to get their words ‘out there’.

So if you’re a writer, with things you want, or need to share with others, please consider the Anthology I’m working on. It will become a book. I have a strong passion to make that happen, I have enough money to make it happen, it will happen. I hope you want to help, and will send in your poetry or prose concerning Covid-19, and we can make the book happen together.

I don’t know how long it will take to have this anthology put together and printed. I’ve written on this blog that I will go on accepting work until the end of July this year. So that will mean it won’t be ready to be published, and have copies of the book available until closer to the end of this year … Will the Covid-19 thing all be over and forgotten about by then? I don’t think so. I think it will still be very much with us. And books such as this one I will produce will be there, to remind us about this time, so the truth of it is never lost, hidden by the ‘official’ story.

write it down, get it out!

So write your own true Covid-19 words, and know you are helping to record history, for yourself, for your community, and for us all.

Uncategorized

Keen, But Not Obsessive

carolyncordon

At the moment, much of my writing time, and writing related thoughts, have been taken up by thoughts about Covid-19. So much so, that I’ve decided to relegate my Cosy Murder Mystery series idea to second position, and focus on the Anthology I’ve decided is much more important to do right now.

Being relevant, and in the moment, and also being a worthy thing to do in terms of being for the greater good, ‘Plague Invasion – Creative Writing in Response to Covid-19’ will be a more important book than ‘Hot Winds of Death at Talloola, a Cosy Murder Mystery’, will ever be. I am OK with that. The former book will never make me any money, and will probably cost me a bit of money, while the latter book, if if was finished and got published, could well be a money earner.

Making money isn’t why I write though. I write because I’m a writer, writing is what I do. Or if I’m not actually writing, I’m often, perhaps usually, thinking about writing related things. This Anthology I’ve decided to work on publishing is a way to reach out to others, and bring out the truths of what it’s like to be in Lock Down, to be worried, to be unemployed, all because of a virus.

Nature often inspires me …

To me, it feels as though we are trapped in an historic moment, and can’t get out, unless or until, something can happen to open up the trap door. That key to release us may be a vaccine, that we can have to keep us safe from Covid-19. There are relevant people working on that, on a vaccine, and from what I’ve been hearing, it’s getting closer.

But it isn’t here yet, so in the meantime, I am calling out for written works about this dangerous virus. Details of what I’m after are below. I want as broad a range of works as possible, all looking at writing inspired by the prompt of ‘Covid-19’. The book that comes out of this project with be an anthology, titled “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19”, and it will be published, and available for sale. If you want to be involved (and I hope you do), check out the details below:

1/Plague Invasion Anthology – submission guidelines

Up to three poems (each poem up to thirty lines), or 2,000 words of prose, fiction or non fiction.

For prose, up to three pieces, up to that total word count of 2,000 limit as above.

All accepted writers can buy one copy of Plague Invasion at cost price.

Further copies for accepted writers will be half retail price. All prices are plus p&h.

 *Send submissions to kittycordo@gmail.com*

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2/ Another, possibly related thought:
After an online that with a friend last night,  my head was buzzing a bit, but once I was nice and warm in bed, I slept like a lamb. 

I had the weirdest dream though, and for a change, I can remember the dream. It was at a dog show, and there were a couple of hundred schnauzers and their handlers, all lined up and going into the show ring, all at the same time. I was one of those show people, my Schnauzer was more my pet, than a show dog, and she wasn’t particularly groomed up ready to show, she was just neat and tidy …

Hmm. It seems to me, that dream means I’m setting out on a big project, but I’m not worried about it, because I know what I’m doing, and I’ll quietly get on with getting it done, with lots of others all set on doing the same thing with me.

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So there are some what I’ve been doing. If you’re interested it being involved in the Anthology, please let me know, send something in

I’m not into dream interpretation, but that’s my guess on what it might mean, if in fact it means anything.

Are there any dream experts out there, with thoughts about this? I often dream, but rarely remember my dreams. This one feels like an important dream.

What do you think? Do you think dreams have meanings? I’d love to know more about other people’s thoughts on this, please leave a comment, I’d love to talk about it further!

So, I’m keen to get this Anthology published, and am working toward that being done, but I’m not obsessive about it. I am eating my food, I am sleeping, I am doing other things, as normal. Life continues on, but with the addition of this Anthology …

Uncategorized

My New Project, Thoughts and Ideas

carolyncordon

My thoughts and ideas regarding my new project are growing, as I think about the enormity of what I’ve done. I am not a publisher, as such, I am a writer and poet who has self-published my own work … They’re two things, two different things. Or are they?

To some extent yes, when I’m publishing my own books, I can just do whatever I want, and if it goes well, great, if it sinks, oh well, I’ve lost a bit of my own money, and I grin and bear it. But this new project is something else, something big, and involving many others, who are trusting me with their words, their thoughts. It is humbling, and it is a little bit scary.

some of my self published books, and my poetry collection (Tense and Still) published by Ginninderra Press

I tell myself, yes, I can do this. And step by step, I am doing it. It’s only been a couple of days, but there is already some interest, with some pieces of relevant writing already with me. I will do this, because I have to. I’ve made an offer, accepted work, and now must put the words together, into an a book.

So what is this project? Briefly, I am going to publish an anthology of written responses to the Covid-19 problem that is causing illness and deaths throughout the world, as long as having many, many people suffering from having to remain ‘locked down’, staying in their homes, instead of going to work, or school, unless they have jobs classed as ‘essential’.

I put out this call for submissions on this blog a few days ago, and have been exploring ways to keep on getting more interest in what I’m doing. I will be contacting local press, I’ve been putting the information out on Social Media.
What more can I do? Keep on doing what I’m already doing, and remain open to any other ideas and options that may come along.

I am also in Locked Down. I have a chronic illness, that possibly makes me more vulnerable to getting this illness, it I am exposed to it, apparently. So I’ve been staying at home. I know all about staying at home. I’ve lived through being a stay at home mum, without a car, and now public transport ( a long time ago, my son is now 26). And I’ve lived through having a broken ankle, last year, when I spent almost all of my time during the day on this sofa I’m currently sitting on, unable to walk.

So being in lock down mode seems quite commonplace to me, really. When I had that broken ankle, I saw it as a great chance to get some writing done, and I wrote poems about my broken ankle, and I connected with a publisher I know, and they published the poems I wrote. I came up with a good title that attracted interest (“Angles on Ankles“), and bang, a new book appeared.

That arrow amused me so much! Surely it was easy enough to tell which was the broken ankle, it was a swollen lump of an ankle!

I hope the title I have for this Covid-19 Lock Down project has the same effect, plenty of interest and a book that attracts a lot of interest. My proposed title for this anthology is “Plague Invasion” and it certainly feels to me that this virus is a plague that has invaded our lives and our homes, even as we work hard to keep it away from us, by staying home and washing our hands.

If you’d like to be involved in this anthology, leave a comment and we can discuss it! Or send me an email: kittycordo@gmail.com
Thanks, yours in words,

Note the ‘lock down’ messy hair, and the slightly manic smile. These are crazy times.

Carolyn Cordon, writer, poet, blogger, dreamer, believer!