Tag: creative writing

poetry

A Chapbook Underway

carolyncordon

If you don’t know what a chapbook is, I’ll tell you – a chapbook is a small volume of poetry, usually somewhere around 15 to 40 pages, and in a size smaller than a common paperback size. They are a handy size to fit in a pocket, and usually sell for $5 or so, or are given away at times.

I’ve been thinking about putting together my first chapbook ever since I became aware of them, but until now, have never had a theme I could decide on, that seemed suitable. Until now. Now, I have a theme, I have a title, and at the moment I have 10 poems I am happy with, and hope to have at least one or two more poems before the end of the day.

I have written about this proposed chapbook on another of my blogs, the most relevant blog for this proposed book. Here is the link for that blog post. I plan to have this small book ready to send off for possible publication by the end of the month.

I know I can have a good book launch, in Gawler, where my writing group meets every week (usually), and where two of the group members (I’m one of them), hold a monthly poetry reading. All of this fun happens at the P/A Hotel on the main road in Gawler, and we have had many happy times with poetry there.

The idea of having a theme for a poetry collection always seems like a good idea to me, as it helps to hold poems together in some way, even if, as in my proposed collection, there are different poetic forms. Some of these poems are rhyming, others not. There is one page of Senryu (a Japanese poetic form, similar to Haiku). Some of the poems are serious, others not so serious.

The theme is very personal to me, as it relates to my most pressing thing for me right at the moment, the theme is my broken right ankle, which happened at the end of September. It happened on a date I will always be able to remember, it was the day of the AFL Grand Final, and it happened after the game was finished.

I suspect I should write a poem about that … Hmm, Yes, definitely, it will be a kind of wryly amusing poem, I suspect … I’m enjoying doing my wryly amusing thing, if feels right for me, and this kind of thing goes down well when reading poems to others, a bit funny, but not too much, something to connect with people without overwhelming them.

So who would have thought a broken ankle could lead to a new poetry book? Actually it isn’t that surprising. I’m a poet, I’m having to spend lots of time just sitting around at home as I heal, and my ankle and immobility are taking up a lot of my attention.

They say ‘write what you know’ and I sure know “Broken ankle”, now! I’d appreciate any thoughts about this project! It won’t be a morbid little book, I have a bit about having a Stoic attitude in there, and I’m aiming at wry rather than wretched …

 

poetry, Uncategorized

Some Poetic Forms

carolyncordon

There are many different ways to write poetry, or ‘poetic forms’. Here are a few you may have heard of, but never tried to write, or have written in the traditional form, but not in a new, stripped back form.

I like playing with different poetic forms, and am always happy to try something new, when it comes to my attention. My poetic attempts may interest others, or maybe they won’t it doesn’t matter. Trying these things out, using my own knowledge in different ways is good for my brain!

Give some of these forms a try yourself, and see whether your own brain feels pleasantly stretched in new ways! Firstly, I love sonnets, short poems of fourteen lines. They are distinguished by very strict rhyming schemes, in several different styles, as below:

  • Spenserian sonnet. 3 quatrains and a couplet – “abab bcbc cdcd ee”
  • english(shakespearean) sonnet. 3 quatrains of “abab cdcd efef” followed by a single couplet.
  • italian(petrarchan) sonnet. octave of “abba abba” then a sestet of “cdc cdc”

I have written in these three styles, having had some of my poems published in books, and online, and am proud of my work in the form. But today, I found a brand new form of the sonnet, and I hurriedly ‘gave it a go’!

This new form is the Monosyllabic Sonnet. I found it in an email, sent by a poetic friend, with details of his own poetry blog, https://playground.poetry.blog/ I strongly suggest you go there and explore the many poetic forms Paul has on display on his blog. I have a few of my own attempts at the forms Paul talks about, and encourage you to have a go too, and get involved in what Paul is doing, sharing poetry with the world!

So with the Monosyllabic Sonnet, the poet is to stick to the rhyming schemes for sonnets, as I have put above, but instead of writing in iambic pentametre, you are to write just one word of one syllable only, for each line, instead of longer lines of far more syllables for each line. You are also free to use the title of your poem to fill in more meaning to the poem, by indicating what it is about to aid with clarity.

Here is a new poem I have written to demonstrate what is meant:

On bringing meaning, by sharing your wisdom.

 

We

live, 

free 

give.

 

 

Wonder

much,

ponder 

such …

 

You 

know?

Do 

so!

 

Yell!

Tell!

 

If you like this poetic form please feel free to say so! If you wish, you can share your own attempt at writing a Monosyllabic Sonnet of your own.

 

Now a look at the short Japanese poems. The Haiku is the best know form of Japanese Poems. In the Western world, Haiku are often presented as being written in three lines, with five syllables in the first and final lines, and seven syllables in the middle line. This though is not quite what the Haiku is in its ‘native’ world, where the Haiku is an exceptionally short poem, usually of fewer characters than the English form indicates.

For this blog though, I am going to talk about a related poetry form, the Senryu. Where Haiku relates to poems written about Nature, and referring to the season, the Senryu is written about people, and can more than Haiku, be a funny poem, talking about perhaps a comical part of human nature.

The Senryu has the same form as Haiku, being a short poem, usually of three lines, short, long, short, as with the Haiku. I have written a new poem in this form, and hope you enjoy my words. Again, feel free to comment, and have a go yourself, if you feel so inspired! I love comments on this blog.

 

My Senryu:

 

Wisdom is

saying very little,

or staying mute …

 

 

 

 

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!

Cozy Mystery, Writing

When Work is Huge Fun

carolyncordon

I spent almost all day yesterday, and into the night, working on various bits and pieces of my upcoming “Cozy Mystery” books. More words were added to the one I’ve written the most for, lots of work done on characterisations too, and more ideas for some of the titles already named.

This is so much fun, that even if I never ever actually get any of the ten plus books in the series planned, it’s still worth it. I can call it therapy, and revel in the amazing things my brain is doing, even with the damage my Chronic Illness (MS) may, or may not be doing to it.

I know more and more about the people in my stories, what they look like, what they fear, what their secret powers are, what their role is, and so on. As I learn more about my characters, more subplots pop up, for the various titles, and I’m working at putting relevant ‘bits and pieces’ in the correct story.

This is creative writing times twenty, putting together not one story, or one book, but a whole series of stories in books, and it feels like the best fun ever, as a writer. Creation of a town, its residents and writing about it in a new (to me as a writer) genre, and having fun doing it, what a life this is, wonderful!

I’ve found the thing I really feel I can go on doing for the rest of my life, and I’m loving it! My main character (Meredith Webster) is going to be my best friend, and my helper characters (Gert and Mister) and going to keep it all going! Murder in the small town of Talloola is going great, with Meredith there to find out Who Dunnit!

I created this town and these characters for the novel I’ve been writing (in bits and pieces) for a couple of years, but the Thriller genre wasn’t ‘thrilling’ me. But as soon as I changed it to the Cozy Mystery genre, Bang! It all started coming together beautifully well!

I’ve based my setting on one I know well, with the name and some details changed, to suit the story. Coming up with the various things, names, places, community details, these are the funnest thing, to change things at will, but always with an understanding of the real story, world building in small ways, creative fun for sure!

poetry, writing exercise

Two-by-Four, a new (to me) Poetry Form

carolyncordon

 

I recently discovered a new form of short poetry, the Two-by-Four. It is a poem of two words to a line, over four lines. I found it on the website of a South Australian poet Paul Szlosek, who has a fine interest in poetics and writers/writing. I love short forms of poetry, and this one is a neat little package, with no time for wasting words, ideal for readers with no time to waste!

In the original form there was no title, but I’m inclined to go along the way the website owner I mentioned went, and use titles, in the interest of clarity of understanding. This is the link for that website, go along there, to read more about it. Then come back here and read my own attempts are writing Two-by-Fours. And after that, why not have a try yourself, and to write some of your own Two-by-Fours!

Not Me

Some people

say poetry

must rhyme –

I don’t …

 

 

Political Correctness

More than

anything else,

it’s just

being nice …

Well that was fun to do, and if a writer can write two fine pieces of work in less that half an hour, then that is a fine form of writing for sure. I’m quite happy with this little poetic form, for sure, and I can see myself writing many more of them in the future!

Thank you very much Paul, for bringing this form of short poetry into my poetry world! If you have any thoughts about these little poems feel free to leave  a comment!