Tag: cosy murder mysteries

Cozy Mystery, writing exercise, writing prompts

What Comes Next?

carolyncordon

So February is over now. I no longer ‘have to’ post a new writing prompt on this writer blog of mine, and instead I will be actually writing some prose of my own, primarily. Sure, some poetry will be written, because I can’t help myself. I’m addicted to those stripped back words, I admit it!

I will be doing the weekly writing prompt thing that I’ve written about previously though, so new writing ideas will still be emanating from this blog, as well as other writing related things. It would be good if I can get a decent bit of my first Cosy Murder Mystery story written, so I can post an excerpt of it here … 

I learned a number of useful things in February, as I posted the daily writing prompts, and responded to them myself. I learned that having a daily program of writing, every single day, makes it a habit, and the writing simply comes along, because that’s what I now do after breakfast, every day.

I also learned that if you post every day, you definitely increase the number of readers you get to your blog! I sort of knew that, and now have the proof, right there in my blog stats. And I’m getting more likes, and a couple more people are writing a comment here and there, in response to what I’ve written, or the fact that I’ve written something.

Connections are always good, for writers! People interested in the written word, who like what you’ve written, great! And I’ve been expanding what I write, exploring things, doing new things, and that’s gone well too.

I’ve found also, that having prompts, leads to the feeling that what I will be writing has some kind of purpose, and so I put more of my attention into getting it right, as well as getting it written. 

And putting the word out about the writing prompts made it feel like it was something I had to do, so I kept it up, easily, it was just what I had to do in the morning, once I’d finished having my breakfast. Get up from the table, go to laptop, switch it on, and post the writing prompt. Done.

Yes, I’ve enjoyed this, but my next writing mission is to actually get a much larger prose piece written, an actual book, in fact a series of books. And once that first book in the series is written, time to get onto (or back onto) the second book in the series. And get feedback on the first book, edit in response to feedback, and then work at getting it published, another form of writing-related fun!

And then theres that new poetry collection … I have nearly seventy poems for it, I think, and I have a few of the prompts from February that didn’t end up with poems written, so I’ll have to get that all done. A job for later on today, I think. I have time for that right now, so I’ll get it done, right now.

I am going to post a new writing promt still, but it will be happening only once a week, probably on Monday, so this isn’t the end really, it’s the beginning of something easier, and less of a ‘burden’. Not that it was actually a burden to do these prompts, I enjoyed it. But my prose didn’t happen, when I want it to get going … Poetry/prose. Prose/poetry … I can do both, if I give myself the necessary time for both, which is why the once a week prompts are happening instead of daily ones. All good!

Writing

Why I Love Writing

carolyncordon

One of the reasons I really, really love being a writer, is the way an idea will suddenly burst out of my head, scattering metaphorical sparkling insight glitter over my day! It doesn’t happen every day, week, or even every month, but when it does, BANG my whole day is suddenly magical with the new idea!

I’m so thankful when these ideas come, and I try to make a note of them, so they don’t float away, like the clouds that promise rain, but take their precious moisture to somewhere else, and we miss out. I had an idea like this yesterday, and yes, I wrote it down, and I’m so glad I did.

The idea I wrote down is in relation to one of my writing projects, the biggest and most challenging idea I’ve had yet. This idea is the writing of a series of Cosy Murder Mysteries, many of them … This new idea I had today may mean a new book, when I already have titles and brief notes for nineteen different books … This is going to take me a long time to write, so I really should get started on writing the series, I think …

I don’t actually know if I’m going to write all of the books I have titles for, but I’m enjoying the whole idea of it, and I’ve written part of the first draft of the first two books. I feel like I’ve messed up a bit, though, and have to step away from the second book, and complete the first one, first, so I can set the tone for the entire series, but with hints and clues that there may be possible changes to come …

Moving from being a poet, to being a Cosy Murder Mystery writer isn’t that much of a change, words are the tools for both of these genre, and I’m a keen community member, and observer of people. The little town where these murder mysteries take place is a made up town, not a real one, but it bears a resemblance to another town I know quite well, not naming any names, though …

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The knowledge that I can go from poetry to murders, and enjoy them both, as well as the other things I write, non fiction, short stories, as well as blogging, what fun it is, keeping me connected with the literary world!

inspiration, writing prompts

From Small Things …

carolyncordon

I’m quite excited about what the month of February might bring – a little work for me, in the posting of a new creative writing prompt on this blog, every single day of this month of February, as well as the birthday of my super dooper bestest ever best friend, also known as my husband, Graham.

I hope that by the end of the month, I, and anyone who wants to come along for the ride, will have at least 29 new pieces of creative writing, that one hopes, might go on to become something more than just the small thing it began as. From a single writing prompt, may come an entire novel! Or, as in my case, the improvement of a poetry collection, that goes on to be published!

If you’re reading this post, and are excited about what may happen for you, for this month, I’d love to hear about it, please feel free to leave a comment, and we may begin a worthwhile discussion about writing related things – hopes for our writing, ideas about how to improve what we write, anything. We are writers, and we write – may our words bring worth to us, and to all who read our words!

I have dreams, I have ideas. If anyone reading this blog is interested, I love to give workshops to small groups, especially those who aren’t really sure about the scribbles they do, when they feel the need to get the stuff in their brain out, and onto the page. This writing can be rubbish, at times, but it can also be wonderful.

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Sometimes you can match the rubbish up with something else, give it bit of a polish, and it can become something far larger than the individual parts! Dare to dream, dare to write, dare to be your most fabulous self! And remember to tell people I helped you! Haha.

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An image I took recently, when there were so many very important things going on, that I knew I had to capture images of, but I felt impelled to take a photograph of the ground at my feet, and in that image, are so many individual things. Stones, pebbles, sticks, leaves, sand, dirt, and who knows what else. There’s the toe of my foot, and part of the chair I was sitting on, and a tiny piece of the pants I was wearing …

Is it, could it be, inspirational, who knows, but right know, at this very moment, I’ve begun thinking about the series of Cosy Murder Mystery books I’m thinking of creating, and maybe this image could have been taken by my amateur sleuth, Meredith, and it turns out to contain a vital clue to the question of ‘Who done it?’

Inspiration, what a lovely word it is. If I can inspire more loveliness in February, how awesome that could be, would be, should be! I ask of all to help the awesomeness manifest, for the month of February! Let this blog be inspiration for a more awesome world, filled with the awesome creative writing from February!

 

Philosophy

Looking Back, and Satisfied!

carolyncordon

It’s been an interesting year, this year. 2019 – it was filled with opportunities, those taken, those left, and I’m satisfied with what I achieved, even though there could have been more.

There can always be more, of course there can. But less is another option, and sometimes taking less leads to deeper, more meaningful things instead of the big and shiny things. And of course, there are the things that life throws at us, unexpectedly, and we have to try to deal with them, in the best way we can.

So in this year, I attended book launches, included my own, I lead a writing group that put on monthly Poetry Readings, sourcing Guest Poets to bring new interest to the event. The group Adelaide Plains Poets Chapter and Verse, also successfully put on out fifth Festival of Words. Good things happening, with words, are excellent!

I wrote much poetry, and probably have enough quality poetic words for a new full size poetry collection, and will  into taking that further in 2020. I also broke my right ankle, in September, which could have been terrible, but instead lead to a completely different kind of poetry collection being written, and launched in this final week of the year of 2019.

“Angles on Ankles” is a chap book, all about my broken ankle, and contains my thoughts about this whole broken ankle ‘thing’, all written poetically, 21 poems in fact. This book has been declared to be a good little book, and given I only wrote it initially as a kind of therapy as I was in rest and heal mode in October after doing the damage, I’m happy to have got the book published commercially here, or by leaving me a comment below.

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Other members of the writing group have also had success with their own writing, and I am so glad for them for what they have achieved. What else? Well after breaking my ankle, I have begun an exercise/rehabilitation program, using exercises given to me by the physio I saw when I was actually able to stand up and walk.

I added in a couple of my own physio kinds of exercises, including using our family Wii Fit exercise machine. I’ve been doing most if not all of these exercises every day now, for the past week or so, and I hope I can keep this habit going, because it is certainly a good one.

I have also got more into the habit of blogging much more often, on at least a few of the blogs I have. This blog, focused on me as a ‘wordsmith’ – writer, poet, blogger, etc, is my most important blog, but the blog I began when I was diagnosed with MS, has morphed into a blog that took on things related to my broken ankle, because of course both MS and a broken ankle have mobility issues happening, and falls can be lessened with strengthening of the body …

I was going to work at becoming a writer of Cosy Murder Mysteries this year, and did in fact do some planning, and writing in this particular genre. But it was bad timing, because that broken right ankle happened, and my brain couldn’t focus on fictional problems, when my own physical problem was right there with me … But 2020 is a new year, and certainly I’ll be looking at getting back into my “At Talloola”  murder mysteries!

I am happy with all of this, for sure. 2019 has also been a year of becoming serious about becoming a Stoic. Holding to Stoic thought, thinking about things and acting in a Stoic way has certainly aided me in my life, this year. As I was ‘getting over’ this broken ankle, I had a Stoic outlook, rather than a ‘woe is me’ outlook, and so the time went well for me, with the poetry happening, and then the book.

Stoicism helps in so many ways. Thinking things through, then acting in wise ways, rather than acting with no real thought at all, is almost always the best way. It is a work in progress, and I know some of my thoughts are still far from in keeping with Stoicism, but my actions almost always are more considered than those initial thoughts may have been.

I was pleased that a bit of Stoicism made it’s way into that ankle poetry book, and hope to continue working hard at moving upward and onward with my Stoic Wisdom. This is my Stoicism blog – My Stoic Life. I will be using it more and more, and will endeavour to post there much more often, as I go … I look forward to reading comments on my blogs, often! I will follow, if you give good and thoughtful comments

The theme for our writing group’s Festival of Words next year is “Vision”, and I have my own personal vision, of 2020 being the year my writing really takes off!