Category: Writing

Writing

Working at Becoming a Novelist

carolyncordon

I have just begun looking at my “At Talloola” Cosy Murder Mystery series again, after leaving it and doing something quite different recently. I broke my ankle at the end of September last year, and my head was not interested in cozy mysteries, it was interested in my ankle. So instead of murders in a little village, I was writing poems about my broken ankle and related things.

Now though, now that ankle book, a poetry chap book is written, having 21 poems about my ankle. It is called ‘Angles on Ankles’, and is available from the publisher, Ginninderra Press, here.  I launched this book recently, and sold some copies, and have more copies available for sale ($5, plus postage) by simply asking me about it, in a comment.

So that poetry book is written now, so it’s time to get back to working at becoming a published novelist! The “At Talloola” Cozy Murder Mystery series is one avenue toward becoming a novelist, for sure, and I have several people who are wanting me to get on with that project, because they want to read them! I have to admit, I do too!

I also have another option though, a book that is already written, and here on my laptop, the first draft of a novel I began and finished quite a few years ago. I lost contact with that book, then discovered it again, sitting on our family PC, as if calmly waiting for me to be in the mood for it.

Once I found it, I did some word on it on my lap top, tidying up somethings, and working more on the story line, and ending. Then other things happened, and I left that one alone too, until now. So I have a bit of a quandary, which novel project do I run with? One stand alone novel, or a series of many Cozy Murder Mysteries, all with the same base cast of characters, and which I’ve begun doing a bit of work on.

I’m not sure, but I keep thinking there’s no need to choose which, I can do all of it, surely? Haha, of course I can, I am invincible! No I’m not, I’m an ideas person, but also a procrastinator … But my writing group is having a writers lock in, in just over a week, and that will give my several hours to put some good and steady work in on whichever I choose to work on.

I’m also without a car at the moment, so am basically stuck at home, mostly. So no excuses for not writing. So, I’ve sent the first chapter of the second book in my mystery series to a friend, because he asked to see it, and he liked it, so that’s another person wanting it.

But that novel in first draft stage, it’s been waiting for me to get on with it for about ten years, one little novel, already there in an early version stage, I can perhaps concentrate on that until the lock in? Maybe. I can at least spend a couple of hours on it today, perhaps to see what I actually have, and where it needs to go from now …

Yes, that feels like the best way, and if after putting this time in today, I decide I’m not that interested in it anymore, so be it, it can go on waiting. But that main character, and the others are still wandering around in my head, at the back, just reminding me now and then, that we’ve all had good times, getting the novel going, and plotted, and planned, and then written!

Yes, there are things that need fixing, but it’s there ready and waiting, and Laani and the other characters have been waiting for a long time. So that’s it, finish off this post, and get working on my novel, “An Ethical Dilemma”. I’m reading the book again, for the first time for some time.

 

 

poetry, Writing

My Beautiful, Broken Ankle

carolyncordon

I am a woman, middle aged, no raving beauty, for sure, but the sight of me certainly doesn’t frighten children. My ankle though, my right ankle, that is a beautiful thing! I’m not an expert on ankles, but I know more about them now, than I used to know, because I’ve discovered more about ankles, in particular broken ones, than I knew before I broke my right ankle on AFL grand final day at the end of September this year..

My broken ankle was certainly not a thing of beauty, when I fell, and, on landing, and in twisting the ankle, broke two bones of my ankle, the tibia and the fibula. It was a twisted and painful thing, something of horror. The pain I felt when I broke my ankle was the most extreme pain I had ever previously felt.

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Now though, after three ambulance rides, three hospitals visited, an operation, and some fine nursing, it has all come together, to mend the break, and with some fine further work from my podiatrist and physio, I can honestly say when I look at my right ankle now, it is no longer an ugly twisted thing, but a soft, supple joint, that, even though is not as flexible as my left ankle, it is definitely now fit for the purpose of walking, with or without the help of a walking stick.

I have worked on my ankle, obeying the instructions from the surgeon and podiatrist, as well as the physio. These are the people who definitely do know a lot about ankles, and the healing of ankles that are in need of work.

My x ray I had taken recently, before seeing the surgeon who operated on my ankle, is beautiful too, with the surgeon extremely happy with how things are going. When I read of others afflicted with broken ankles, I can honestly say the way my right ankle has healed since I broke it just nine weeks ago, is a beautiful thing indeed!

And to add to the beauty and positiveness of it all, I have, in my time of needed rest and rehabilitation, written a small poetry collection, written, edited, published and now ready to be launched and made available to the world.

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Yes,”Angles on Ankles”, will be launched just after Christmas, the perfect late gift for anyone who has had physical injuries, that kept them resting, and healing! Whether a broken ankle, or any other physical mishap, there will be something of interest in this little collection for everyone!

The collection will be launched by popular South Australian poet, John Malone, at the P/A Hotel in Gawler, on 29 December, at 1.45 PM, just before the usual Gawler Poets at the Pub event, with Carolyn Cordon as the Guest Poet. There will be much happiness, and a possible showing of scars, to anyone interested!

Carolyn Cordon

Cozy Mystery, Writing

Time for a Holiday!

carolyncordon

I have returned today from a short holiday in the country, and it was a delightful time! I had plans to write, and took a notebook and pen with my for the purpose. Surely staying somewhere else, with a writer friend would be inspirational, I thought. Might it result with some words written in my Cozy Murder Mystery series again, at last?

I have to admit that, no, there were no new words written for my “At Talloola” series, but I did get some ideas that I could write up and work on, perhaps when my writing group next has a lock in. We don’t actually have  lock in booked in, but it might be a thing we could talk about at the next meeting, tomorrow …

Any way, I may not have written anything for my fictional prose writing, but I did write a few things very much inspired by the place I was staying. The house I was staying at is a friend’s place, just across the road from the water of Spencer Gulf, beautiful blue water, when I am far more accustomed to beautiful green trees.

I was writing short poetic pieces, not knowing if they would lead to anything more, but happy to be capturing some of my thoughts about a different but still beautiful aspect of Nature. They might go together in something larger, perhaps a collection all about locations, or Nature …

Or I could take it further, and write about how lovely it was to be staying with a friend, and muse on the whole idea of what friendship is, and what it can be, what makes it good, what makes it bad … Early stages yet, who knows where it might lead.

And regarding the Cozy Murder Mystery series, I was certainly thinking about what I need to do to make it all actually happen. This short holiday was about being with a friend, and just have a good though quiet time. It was not a time for me to lock myself away to get on with planning my books, not at all. I did talk a little about it all though, keeping my interest happening in it, and hoping to interest someone else too.

Now that I’m home, I can see I have to get on with this series, to make it real, to help me to get it written in the easiest and least time wasting way. So, my next step will be to finally set up a template for these books, and to put it all together, then bite the bullet and just get on with the writing of them, consistently!

I spend/waste so much time on Social Media, could I stop doing that and commit an hour a day, every day, to working on this series? Hmm, I don’t see why not … I have characters, I have possible titles, I have story ideas, I need to set out the template and fill in the gaps, creating plots, subplots, and method to turn the current bits and pieces method into something methodical and doable.

So that’s it, I will now go and get my Template done (after some online research on the topic) and the “At Talloola” Template will be created, and the series properly begun!

inspiration, Writing

Some Words About Notebooks

carolyncordon

If you’re a writer, I would expect you quite likely already know what I am going to write here, regarding notebooks. But there may be little things you have thought about before. If you’re not a writer, or don’t call yourself one yet, keep reading, you may one day join the ranks of the ‘world of writers’ and could find the information useful and interesting.

So, firstly, notebooks are excellent places for scribbling random ideas, thoughts, interesting now words, and a variety of other things. For instance, if you’re writing a novel, your notebook can be a useful place to scribble plot ideas, or some possible twists or red herrings for your novel. If you write non fiction, the notebook can be useful for noting down possible ideas for chapters, research, and so on.

I’m a novelist, (or trying to be one), but mostly I’m a poet, and I write random poems in the various notebooks I have. Going back to my novel-in-slow-progress, I have written down many short snippets for the novel I want to create, pieces that will go in the book, eventually.

But at the moment, I am putting together a chapbook, which is a small poetry collection of 15 to 40 pages. This collection has a theme, which is very personal to me. It is all about my right ankle, which I broke at the end of September this year. I want to have something in writing, looking at various aspects of what having a broken ankle is like.

So, to notebooks. When I was in hospital, a good friend of mine dropped in for a visit, and she gave me a present. This present was a notebook, which I was thrilled to receive. I have that notebook on the sofa next to me at the moment, and I was so happy when I opened it up earlier today, and looked inside.

You see, I’d already written 18 poems to go in my chapbook about my ankle, and thought that might be enough, but this notebook has two poems in it, that I can put into the chapbook! When I put all of the poems together, and include an introduction, that will make for a reasonable sized chapbook.

The great thing about notebooks is that when you have a few of them, you can go back and look in them, and discover interesting bits of writing that you’d forgotten about. I’ve found little gems of poems sometimes, and that is so thrilling, realising that yes, you are actually a fine poet, because that poem was yours!

If you want to put together a poetry collection, either a smaller chapbook, as I am currently working on, or a bigger poetry collection, always find as many of your notebooks as is possible, to bring some of your older poetic gems out into the public’s eye!

And sometimes those older notebooks can show you good things about how far you have come in your poet life, when you cringe at something you wrote many years ago, but you can now easily see ways to improve the earlier work, and turn it into something publishable.

Notebooks are also useful for writing down interesting and quirky little things that happen too. Sometimes these things can end up being funny little poems, fun to share with others when times call for amusing little things to share.

So if you are, or would like to be a writer or poet, get some notebooks, and use them as often as possible. That way you will always have material available for your writing, and you will always have something to do, write something in your notebook!

If you have any words of wisdom about notebooks, I;d love to hear it, leave a message here!

Writing

The Writer as Juggler

carolyncordon

Today was not the day for being a novelist, not during the day, anyway. I was the Editor of a community Newsletter, rather than being a Poet, or the writer of a Cozy Mystery book series …

This is how things go, sometimes, we all have certain responsibilities and we prioritise things, and do the best we can with all of the things we need to do … It’s a frustration, but at least I’m in the fortunate position of not needing to do a paid job, so I can arrange my life to suit myself, to a far larger degree than many other writers.

The newsletter needs to be ready to send off to be printed before the end of the week, for preference, the poetry is going to be less in focus for the time being, and the novel may happen if I don’t have access to the household’s PC (because my husband uses it too).

I did manage to write, or rewrite more like, around 500 words that are in the chapter breakdown I began yesterday or the day before, where I’ve been writing notes for chapters, or cut and pasting shorter pieces to their best spot in the novel I’m doing most of the work on. This will be book 2 ‘Kissing Cousins’.

I need another day to put in more novel work, I think, perhaps tomorrow morning dedicated to novel, and leave the newsletter until after lunch, when things I’ve requested to go in there, should have arrived.

It’s a busy writing life, and I love it, juggling from non fiction to fiction, newsletter to novel, and some poetry in there as well. And blogging and other Social Media too, of course. Not as much as that though, as sometimes. A bit of Twitter, and more Facebook than there should be …

It’s all going well though, and as I said, I love it!