Category: Uncategorized

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Putting My Own Work Forward

carolyncordon

This idea of mine, as outlined here yesterday, to organise an anthology about Covid-19, and its affect on us, the creative writers, who see things, think about them, and respond with our main tool, our words, and writing abilities, is real, it’s happening, and people have indicated they’d like to be involved. This is one of those humbling moments, to have other writers acknowledge that my idea to do this was a good one, and a healing idea perhaps, or at least a chance to try to understand it better.

I’ve received the first response to my call for creative writing submissions, and I felt almost scared about reading that response, at least before I’d written my own work for possible inclusion in the Plague Invasion Anthology. I’ve written my own first response now, a poem, an acrostic poem, in fact, and I will share it here, to share one possible way other creative writers may like to go.

And, because it’s relevant to my own poem, here are some trees.

And now, here is my own poem:

Plagasion

My Acrostic Response

Please stay at home. Or go back to work.

Leaving it up to us? Or just confused? 

Anger, anguish, thinking of loved ones lost,

Going down sad old paths, or fresher grief.

Aware, or maybe not, that grief takes time …

Stay together, this journey is one untravelled

In our lives before, the rules fluid. No-one

Owns this problem, unless Nature does, and

Nature is trying, yet again, to make it better …

So that’s what I’ve done, now, will you put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, to produce something that might be suitable for “Plague Invasion” and Anthology of creative writing in relation to Coronavirus – Covid-19? I hope so.

If you wish to submit your work for consideration for this project, here again, are the relevant details:

send your work before 31 July 2020, by sending it as an attachment, to kittycordo@gmail.com, using the subject of ‘submission, Plague Invasion’
If you would like to know more about this, feel free to send me a query, at the same email address, with the subject of ‘query Plague Invasion’.

Thank you, and best wishes to you, in these troubling times

Carolyn

Carolyn Cordon, Editor, Poet, Writer, and Dreamer.

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Sharing, For a Friend

carolyncordon

A friend of mine, (Hi John!), asked about seeing some of the novel I’m writing. I value his opinion, so have decided to put a snippet here, so John, and anyone else who might be interested, can read a bit of “Hot Winds of Death At Talloola”, a Cosy Murder Mystery, my first ever. I am far more accustomed to writing poetry, and this venture into writing these mystery novels is a big step, so I appreciate any feedback I might receive. I’m only just into this book, and have many more chapters to go.

This piece is from the second chapter, and Meredith, my main character, has gone along to the Talloola Oval, to check out the preparations for the Talloola Christmas Party, to be held at the oval later in the day, and into the evening. Meredith’s job is with Talloola Council, and putting on this event, after it not being held for quite a few years was her idea, and she hopes it goes well. She has been in the job for less than a year, and hopes to get another contract after her initial two year contract is over. She is a city girl, moved to Talloola, and enjoying the change, to country life.

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I got closer to the oval, and was sort of pleased to see lots of residents, both adults and kids, taking an early look at what was going on. It’s good they’re interested, but I hadn’t considered that aspect. Was it going to slow things down, with people wandering around the oval? I’m sure the insurance of the various stall holders would cover anything … But the actual opening of the Talloola Christmas Party wasn’t until much later today. But if these people went home and told others that things were looking good, then, yay, more people! I hope so, anyway.

If this event was successful, we might have to keep people out though, next time. I stored the thought, away on my mental agenda. The people working, looked set up to keep people out of the way of any danger , so I wasn’t too worried, not really. And then, there was Gert, with some of the CWA ladies, heading into the football club to get their tea and coffee stall set up. I gave them a wave, when they looked my way, and continued onto the oval.

I could see Tash, sitting under the big tent, and she seemed to be getting some pamphlets organised, and I was thrilled to see a most gorgeous German Shepherd with her. Dark and tan, a male, he was just beautiful. Was he the barking dog I’d heard, that had woken me up this morning? He certainly looked big enough to be the one … I kept walking and got to Tash and the dog, which was sitting, and looking at me, sedately. 

I glanced at Tash, and asked, ‘May I?’

‘Oh I knew Merlin would attract your interest Meredith! You’re such a sucker for a dog, and Merlin here sure is an impressive dog, isn’t he?’ She laughed at me, and called to the dog. ‘Merlin, ask nicely!’ she said. 

Merlin looked at me, and put out a paw toward me, seeming to beckon me over. I strolled closer, and put out my own hand, touching his big paw, and then reached to stroke him under his chin. He arched his neck and leaned into my hand, and I rubbed gently behind his ears, not surprised when he relaxed into my hand, and seemed to smile at me.

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So that’s a small piece, and I hope you find it interesting, and would like to read more! I’m still in the very early stage of writing this novel, and any thoughts about what I’ve written would be welcome. For instance, I just realised, as I was getting this snippet organised, that both my main character, and the German Shepherd, have quite similar names … ‘Merlin’ and ‘Meredith’… problem or no problem, what do you think?

Merlin isn’t going to have a large part in the novel, I don’t think, or maybe he will. Merlin’s owner also works at Talloola Council, as the Dog Control Officer.

I’m happy enough to change the dog’s name, if it might be a problem. The name jumped into my mind a few days ago, as I was writing the piece, and it seemed just right for him, a wise and intelligent dog …

Anyway that’s it, time to have a coffee, and get some more of this mystery happening!

Cozy Mystery, Uncategorized, Writing

Locked In or Reaching Out?

carolyncordon

Even as we are (most of us anyway) in Locked in mode, keeping ourselves and others safe, by staying at home, most of the time. Many are bemoaning these scaled back quiet times, and they’re worried about not being able to work.

Not me though, and not many of my friends. A locked in life can feel like bliss, nothing you have to go out and do, the days are yours, to explore your writing options. The projects that had been put on hold, waiting for a time, when you actually had time, and suddenly, that time is now!

While many businesses have closed down, many publishers, especially small ones, are still very much at work, and they are able to go on doing their publishing thing, calling for submissions, receiving them, putting anthologies or other books together, then sending them off to be printed.

This is great news for many of us, and many of my friends are getting published, and we celebrate the good news with them, when they post the news on blogs, or on Social Media. But the sad part is there won’t be any Book Launches, where everyone comes together in the same room, words are read out, and hugs are given, food and drinks are consumed, and much chat happens.

No more. It is possible to still hold a book launch, one online, but many of the best elements are missing. There are no hugs, the purchaser is unable to watch as the writer of the book signs the new copy the purchaser has handed money over for. If books are purchased, it happens online, and there are definitely no hugs.

Personally, I’ve had two poems accepted by two different publishers, I’ve entered a short story in a competition, and I’ve written some more (but not enough) of my bigger work in progress. That work in (slow) progress is a Cosy Murder Mystery series. I have characters, and a setting, as well as many book titles and slight notes on what each book will be about. There are I think twenty books in the series. If I ever get them written, I expect I will be in my late seventies … This is not a bad thing necessarily, many authors of such books are more mature, they’ve lived lives, and know much about people, it’s all fine!

But the rate my writing of this series, I’m likely to be more like in my nineties. I sincerely hope the writing of Murder books helps to ward off dementia, because otherwise I’ll have no chance of making my way to the end of my list! Whether poetry, or mystery books, or anything else really, being locked in makes it all easier, with so much time available. Sadly, more time can also mean more things to procrastinate about.

And this crazy Covid 19 time, when there is non stop media about death rates, recovery rates, things to do, meals to make, cleaning to do, decades old boxes of ‘stuff’ to sort through, the dog to walk and feed, gardening to do, and so on. So tasks you’ve never had on your list of things to do may appear, and all of those things can stop the writing happening …

With no sense of routine, things can just drift away, things happen, but they don’t amount to much, and little or no writing is done. Where does the time go? It goes down the drain, and even though your house is clean, and dishes are done, with different recipes tried out now that time is there, sourcing ingredients might take more time than usual, and you may not be able to get those ingredients, so you have to find a different idea.

And no writing gets done … I’ve been able to get some sort of sense to things happening, by moving from breakfast table to laptop every morning, Emails read and dealt with, and then writing happens, most of the time. The writing might be a poem, a bit more of that novel, a blog post, something for the monthly community newsletter I edit, but writing. Words happen every day, and I am still a writer, just a locked down one.

My Locked in view …

If you have a plan that works for you at the moment, I’d love to read about your ideas, please leave a comment, and we can perhaps all get better at managing our time, and get some great writing done!

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Difficult Times

carolyncordon

We’ve never in our lifetimes had as difficult time as we are facing right now, I suspect. Certainly I haven’t. I’m not able to go to the usual venue (the Prince Albert Hotel in Gawler), to have our usual weekly meeting for two reasons. I’m not able to meet at a hotel, and the hotel is closed anyway.

In fact there isn’t really much I can do:

go to the doctor, yes, probably, if I have to

go to the supermarket, yes, but there may not be much to buy

go to the fruit and veg market, yes, but again, may not be as much there as usual

get my legs waxed, nails done etc, no (but I don’t get my legs waxed anyway, and cut my own nails …)

visit my friends, no, I’m not allowed to do that …

weddings, funerals, hair cuts, ‘boot camp’, barre, yes, but with only far reduced numbers allowed

These are strange times, and all around the world, governments are trying to work out the best ways to deal with the Covid 19 Virus pandemic, which is killing some of the people who contract the virus. And there are some ridiculous things being said and possible cures given by people tho have no real idea of what they’re talking.

And as a writer, I’m trying to settle my head to write a series of Cosy Murder Mysteries … Sheesh, it is so unlikely my brain will settle down to tell tales of gentle murder in a cosy little town, when the TV in front of me is talking non stop about people dying for real, when their lungs fail them because of this virus …

Poetry might be a better way to go, but again, the kinds of things I usually write seem so inappropriate to me right now … If I was a writer of post apocalyptic novels, then my brain could take up a lot of the stuff on my TV, but it would seem to be non fiction, rather that fiction. One of the members of my writing group is finding this very thing, actually, scary stuff.

I will do my best to get my life going on, ‘as normal’ but these are not normal times. I wish all the best to everyone out there, as you also try to deal with these ‘interesting times’.

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A Perfect Time To Write!

carolyncordon

If you’ve been looking for something to do, during these crazy Covid 10/Coronavirus times, obviously writing is the perfect time to write. Some of us are contemplating our own lives, as we wait at home, avidly watching, or strongly avoiding, the talks on the media about death rates, and such things.

When you have to stay at home, to keep safe from this virus, sit down, think about your life, and the things you want to be remembered about what that life has been, what you’re realised, what you’ve achieved, or wish you’d achieved. Or maybe now is the time to write silly little ditties, to get, and give a few giggles, in these serious times.

Or perhaps now is the time to get stuck right into that novel they’ve been thinking about writing. You’re stuck at home, and there’s only so much dire TV reportage a person can face, so why not write that detective story, or romance, or Science Fiction book, now is surely the time! If there is an explosion of new fiction, we can all read our way through our lock down times …

Poetry, a poem about this, and that, and there are many ways to share our poetic words with others, other than being jammed into a small room, reading out, or performing our poems. We all have phones these days, and laptops, and can easily record ourselves ‘doing’ our poems, and post them online. I saw such a thing live earlier today, and it was great! (thank you to my friend Martin Christmas for the heads up)

Writing time, or lock down?

Or you could record yourself performing poetry written previously, keep on practising until you get it just right, and then put it up, ‘out there’ on your blog. Or if you don’t have a blog yet, now could be the very best time ever to do that! Blogging is the perfect way to keep connected with others, doing the things you love doing,

And of course, your garden is always out there, waiting for you to go out there and smell the roses, or the rosemary, or whatever it is you have growing outside. Good times, even in these worrying times. Do the best you can, and keep safe!