Tag: books

Cozy Mystery, meaning in life

From Poet to Writer of Cozy Mysteries?

carolyncordon

OK, so I’m relatively well known, in certain circles, as a poet, with two published poetry collections, and single poems published in various places, as well as a good many unpublished poems written. I like writing poetry!

I also have a first draft of a novel for children, that may never go anywhere, which is a little sad, I think, but not sad enough for me to actually do anything about it, not at the moment, anyway. I also have an unfinished novel, a thriller, that I have decided, just a few days ago, that will never ever be sent to a publisher, and I am not unhappy about that, not at all.

I love my main character (Meredith Webster) from that unfinished novel, and I love my other characters, and I absolutely adore the setting. I just don’t feel the ‘thriller’ genre is one that will work for me, it’s a little bit too much for me, getting the thriller aspects written. It isn’t a genre I’m drawn to as a reader, so the idea of doing it as a writer was probably not a great idea.

I do like murder mysteries though, to read. I started my serious reading life as an eleven or twelve year old lover of Agatha Christie’s cozy murder mysteries, but never thought of writing anything in that genre, until just the other day, when I had a brilliant thought. What about, I thought, I have Meredith, my main character in my thriller, as an amateur detective, solving murders that happen in her little town of Talloola? This feels to me like I have a new meaning in my life!

I did a little bit of study (ie, googled it) and discovered the name of the ideal genre for this, “Cozy Mystery”, and BANG! I had my answer on what to do with my failed wannabee Thriller, and all of the work I’ve already done with it. I have thousands of words written with my main character, other characters, and my setting, and if I can find ways to use them, I won’t have been wasting my time, I’ve simply been exploring my options.

So, at the beginning of this week, I began my proposed new career as a writer of Cozy Mysteries! I’ve got a list of over ten books, with ideas for most of them, and the order of publication organised for the first few books already. I’ve even begun writing the first two books, have planned how many words there will be for each book, how many chapters and how many words in each chapter. This feels like it’s going to work, and I’m excited!

I’ve been an avid reader of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series of books, and I’m looking forward to becoming known as Carolyn Cordon, with my series of Meredith Webster books, set in the fictional town of Talloola in the mid north region of South Australia. If this sounds exciting to you, it feels a gazillion times more exciting to me!

I love doing this writing, it flows along easily, and I am so much enjoying my writing of this. I loved doing the little pieces I’ve been doing at my weekly writing group, my friends there were always interested to hear what I was writing using the prompts given at the group, that I would write about, thinking on how they could relate to my thriller main character, and others in that unfinished book.

So now I can think about possible cozy mystery ideas and Meredith from now on, and it will be an easy way to get bits of writing done, with stories fleshed out, and new ideas played with. I’ve change the point of view too – the thriller was in Third Person POV, the cozy thrillers are in First Person POV. I’m very much enjoying pretending I’m an amateur sleuth!

dog pet cute
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Some of Meredith is like me, some isn’t, but she’s someone I can imagine being friends with. We both love dogs, although she’s never actually had one of her own. She has  special way with them though, and that is an asset in her mystery solving, at times. It also means she has someone to talk through her ideas with, which means the reader, as well as the dog currently with her, can follow her thought processes too, as she works on finding out who done it!

Public Speaker, Writing

Who Am I? What Am I?

carolyncordon

If you ask me who I am, I probably won’t give you the same answer that I may have given you fifteen to twenty years ago, and I most likely will have to think about the answer I actually give you these days. Twenty years ago, I probably would have said, in answer to the question: I’m Jake’s mum.

And of course, whether naming myself that, in answer to the question of ‘Who are you?’ is an interesting thing to think further on. I am Carolyn. That is who I am. But I am also Jake’s mum, for sure, I am proud to be the mother of this fine young man I carried into this world.

But I’m Carolyn Cordon, writer and poet, as well as President of Adelaide Plains Poets writing group, Editor of the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle newsletter, and a former dog breeder, breeding dogs with the Kennel name of Holkschter Kennels. I’m a former Public Servant, a onetime (failed) dog food promoter, and a couple of other smaller jobs, including the Mallala and Dublin Towns Coordinator, a role I enjoyed, but one I suffered many sleepless nights because of.

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The writer and poet jobs, have been with me off and on for the most years, and they are pretty well always happening every day. Writers and poets don’t really turn off after work in the afternoon, because our workplace is inside our heads, thinking, whether we’re doing it consciously or not. And my role as the Editor of the Crossroad Chronicle is one that happens on the weekend too, sometimes, if a community event of note is on, for instance.

Writers and poets, as well as editors, are always looking for the next big thing to write about, hoping to put together something of interest to their audience, through a story of whatever kind is relevant to their role. And I am another thing as well, I am a blogger, with a few different blogs, of differing subject matter. So – gardening, dogs, writing, child abuse, multiple sclerosis & stoicism, these are all things I blog about, so I am open to anything relating to them all, all of the time, because, well you never know what might happen in this brain of mine, when  things are in there swilling around!

I have a main character from my unfinished novel, Meredith, and even though I am probably never going to complete that novel, I still see things and think, yes, that’s something Meredith would think, or do, or have happen to her. Meredith is with me, whether I want her there or not. I brought her to life, and I’m not going to abandon her, even though she probably would like me to get her story moving along some more …

All of the things that happen to me, may happen to Meredith, or some other person in that novel or in my next poetry collection, or they may come up in the next issue of the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, or one of my blogs. I am who I am, a wearer of many hats, and doing of many things. Life is full of things, good and bad, and I can use them all in various ways, in my life.

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And of course, I am a Public Speaker, looking for more work in that role, so I am looking for interesting, informative, amusing things to speak about too. Life truly is a basket of things, isn’t it. Thinking, writing, speaking, being, they all blend together in great ways for anyone and everyone who are interested and are paying attention!

Anyway, the question of Who I Am, is tied up to the question of What I Am, always. Do you have many roles too? And how do you respond to the question?

Uncategorized, Writing

Why Get Published?

carolyncordon

What does ‘getting published’ mean?

Getting your words published can mean many different things to different people, and the reasons for wanting it to happen can also be quite varied. For some, posting your words to your own blog, or perhaps getting a letter to the editor in the local paper is enough, for others, getting published by a major book publisher with world-wide distribution is what they want.

There are many variations too. Some people post their words to literary magazines, either print or online, some people publish newsletters with their own words in them. Some people have their words published in newsletters such newsletters, and find that is enough for them.

If you have a hobby and like to write about it, you may write comments or articles on Social Media and find satisfaction in that way of ‘getting published’. And the reasons why can be varied too. Some people are more interested in spreading the word about only one thing, and there is nothing wrong with that. Other people are interested in a wide range of things, and write about a great many things, for many different publishing avenues.

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‘Publication’ benefits

Whatever the method you find to be published, if you are a writer of any kind, getting your words ‘out there’ is bound to be beneficial. We writers tend to have a desire to tell other people about the things we find important.

So obviously being published is going to be a necessary part of letting other people read our words, and so share our story, tell our truth, teach a lesson, or entertain and amuse people. These are all valid and fine reasons, and being able to do them will help the writer to feel validated, valued, understood, and appreciated by others.

That is a benefit for the heart and soul perhaps, but another less ‘spiritually worthy’ reason for desiring publication is to get payment from the publication of your words. This may be by having books published and sold by a mainstream publisher, or by a printer, or even by photocopying your words and selling little mini-books.

All of these are valid methods for publishing your words, depending on what you write, how you want it to be presented, who you want to read your words, and so on, but all of the methods can result in books you can sell for money. Having a website where you can display your book/s for sale will certainly be beneficial, if you have a book, or books that will attract an audience that will want to buy themselves their own copy.

If you live in Australia, and you publish a book, if a copy of your book is sent to the National Library, and your own State Library by you or by your publisher, you may well receive Public Lending Right, which is a payment the author may receive for each of their books in libraries. It will also show your book to libraries and others wishing to buy books.

 

Getting your Story Out

If you have an idea, a theme, a life story that you feel others will benefit from, you will want to let others know about it. Getting published is the best way to spread the word about your words. Others may want to know about your story, so if you can get the news of your book, your words published, in the media, such as newspapers or magazines, this will be of great value for your cause.

Having a website is a great and easy way to be ‘published’. It doesn’t have the obvious benefits that a book to but has, but it can lead to other people reading your words, for sure. And if you write enough blog posts, you may well have enough words eventually on your blog, for them to be published as a book, either by you, or by another publisher. If getting financial recompense for your words is something you want, then it’s certainly possible to sell copies of your book/s via your own website, or that of your publisher if your books are published by another publisher.

Self-publishing is becoming more and more an acceptable method for books to be published, circumventing mainstream publishers. Libraries will buy self-published books, if the books are deemed good enough and interesting enough for the libraries readers.

Without being ‘published’ in some form, you will have to rely on less effective ways to spread your words. Word of mouth is useful, but even if you have hundreds of family and friends, they may not all talk about your writing, and may not know many relevant people to talk up your book to! It is a wonderful feeling to sign a copy of your book which someone has just bought!

So if you can get word about your books published, it can lead to more of your books being published, which can encourage you to write more of your words, and that is a fine thing indeed. We can never have too many books in the world!

 

poetry

Sorry for Being Late!

carolyncordon

Well, I’ve been steadily writing, and posting my Poem a Day, for February, as my part of the #poemadayfeb challenge, writing a new poem every day, and posting it to my blog, on this, my Writer’s website. But sadly, yesterday things went a little wrong.

Things got busy, devices weren’t available, so that, while a new poem definitely did get written for the 7th day of February, it didn’t get put on my Blog page here … Never fear though, as soon as I’ve finished typing up this, I will put up that new poem, for the 7th day of February, on the blog!

person holding turned on smartphone
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I wrote the poem on my phone, and so had it with me when I visited my mother today, and I took the opportunity of having the poem with me, and so I read yesterday’s poem aloud to her. She liked the poem, and was impressed by the way I tied all of my important points together.

Well, I’m sure that’s pretty well what she said, something similar to that anyway. It was certainly approval she gave, for sure, and not wishy-washy approval either, but intelligent relevant kind of approval. Hey, I’m a mother too, I can tell the difference!

I haven’t checked out the prompt for today, but rest assured that I will do that too, after this particular post is finished. I am definitely going to write a new poem, every day in February 2019, and I am going to get a chap book published with all of the poems, whether mainstream publishing, or some other kind. I am impressing myself with the poems I’ve been writing, so far, and I can’t see why the quality would drop!

Once I’ve checked out what the prompt is, I will get going with writing my new poem for the 8th day of February, then post is on my blog page here! Then I will post a link to it on Twitter, and one on Facebook, and how knows perhaps a publisher will see the quality of my poetry, and snap me up as one of their poets!

This has been such fun, I’m almost feeling like a real poet, oh hang on, I’ve been writing poetry for years, I already am a real poet … I have poetry online, in books, in libraries, as well as scribbled on a gazillion notebooks and scraps of paper. Published in books is the best way for poetry!

Writing

Thinking of New Year 2019

carolyncordon

There will be no New Years resolutions for me, and this is why:

Over the final month of 2018 I’ve been thinking about the meaning of words, and how actual meaning can be lost or muted over time, particularly through flippant overuse. New Years resolutions, where many of us put together a list of our worthy resolutions, only to ignore them or willingly break them early in the New Year is one of those words.
A resolution is an intention, something we aim or plan to do. But no matter how worthy this intention or resolution may be, so many of us easily and quickly throw that New Years idea to the winds, and just go back to our bad habits of previous times. We eat, drink, smoke, work, too much even though we’d resolved not to, or we don’t do the  exercise or good works we had written down as a New Years resolution.
Is the problem one of semantics perhaps, and maybe stripping it back to bare basics might be better, is what I’ve decided. Some circumstances demand that you drink more than usual, or have another smoke, or don’t do that exercise program. Life can be a problem, trying to fit in or take out various things, and worthy pursuits we had resolved to do, go undone.
This is a shame, but hey, that’s what life is sometimes, isn’t it?
That’s why this year, I’m going to do it differently. This year I won’t have a list of intentions, or resolutions. This year, this year I won’t resolve to itdo anything anything, and then not do it, there’s it’s happened many other years. Instead, this year I simply declare this. This year I WILL BE the BEST person I can be.
It’s as simple as that, it’s as widespread as that. In everything I do, every decision, action, or choice I make, will be the BEST I can do!
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This will be dependant on how I am feeling, and what I am doing, but I am promising right here, to anyone visiting this blog, that everything I do in 2019 WILL BE the BEST person I can be. I will write the best words I can, I will be a caring and useful community member. I will give my all to every thing I do. My life will be a shining example of the the Best I can do, at every given moment.
There will be times when my BEST may not measure up to much, but it will truthfully be the BEST I am able to do at that time. I am not a super person, I am living with a chronic illness, but I am also well looked after, and have great family and friends. I have no excuses for not doing my BEST I can, and I therefore WILL DO MY BEST!
I will do my best writing, I hope to publish at least two books in 2019 (or at least have them written and ready to be published in that year). These books are a children’s picture book, a chapter book for middle to upper primary school level, a chap book if not a poetry collection, and the next book in the Buster the Dog series, which will be a book written with my friend and fellow writer Janette Menhennet, who is writing with McTavish the Cat! Fun times for sure, and I’m looking forward to getting this book ready and seeing any illustrations that will be done by my usual illustrator, Ally Hean!
2019 will be my BEST year ever, in many ways, and I look forward to putting out information about my writing in 2019, to keep everyone up to date!