One of my most important roles as a writer, is being the Editor of a newsletter, the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle. This newsletter comes out toward the end of every month, and is available in hard copy, and online versions.
Putting this newsletter is a volunteer role, and it brings me great satisfaction to use my writing skills in this way, collecting information, writing bits and pieces for the newsletter, and then putting it all together into a format that is good on the eye, and easy to read.
The copies that are made available to the public, are printed by one of the South Australian Senators, and all I have to do is email a copy of the newsletter, then go and collect the copies, once they are printed. A simple arrangement, and one that works well.
The online copy is put on the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle Facebook page, where anyone who wants to see the newsletter in colour, can download it to read. I am proud of what I do with this publication, sharing useful news for the people in the town closest to my home, and also publishing interesting articles provided to me.
There is no payment to anyone who provides this material, but it gives them a free chance to spread the words they wish to share. Also, it is a great thing to put on your CV, with regular publishing credits.
This works well, and while I’d love to be able to pay the writers who send me their work, we all know that isn’t likely to happen. Ah, if only …
So that is my writing work today. I’m supposed to be writing a novel, but the newsletter is more important, I have the community of Mallala (and beyond), who rely on me doing this job. Satisfaction in a job well done, is an awesome feeling!
While I receive no payment, as I said, the satisfaction is priceless! I very much recommend getting involved with your community, and helping out however you can. But always be aware of some nasty people who may try to rip you off. If what you’re doing stops feeling like a good things, and becomes a chore, that may be a sign of that …
I’ve been doing this newsletter editing role for fifteen years, and both the newsletter, and my skills have vastly increased!
Words, they’re our tools, aren’t they, for us writers? We wield them, wave, them, weave with them, making our message, our thoughts and ideas come forward in a way others can read, hear, understand, and if needed, action.
I am a writer, and poet, I write fiction and non fiction, some of my words are published, some not, or not yet. The words I write, or put together, from others, that give me the most satisfaction though, are the words inside a newsletter, the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle. I’ve been the sole editor of this for over ten years, spreading the news of Mallala around the town, and beyond.
Mallala is the closest town to where I live, only 6 km away, and I am glad to be doing this appreciated task for everyone. The Chronicle is also a fund-raiser for my writing group, and helps to pay the prizes for the winners of our national poetry competition. I’m also pleased that I am able to give writers I know, the opportunity to write articles for the Chronicle each month. Sharing in this way makes it easier for me, and better for them!
They don’t get paid for their articles, but they have the knowledge that the words they write, will be read by a willing audience. And isn’t that why we right? To have our words read? Getting those thoughts out of our heads and onto the page or screen that’s important too, but writers who don’t wish to have an audience for what they write are in the minority, I feel. Some writing can be written as ‘narrative therapy’ at first, but even if we never intended those particular words to ever be read by someone else, they so often have our strongest, and most compelling words.
This narrative therapy writing can help a writer to connect with a new community, a community of people who know the truth of what you were writing about, because they are suffering in the same ways you are. True connections made, and friendships can happen too, because sharing personal truth with another person, isn’t that what the best friendships have, deep down. They might wander off to coffee and cakes, but at the beginning are those true stories you’ve shared wither each other …
Coffee and churros, I was there with a true friend …
And now, speaking of true stories, takes me to the other reason I am writing this blog post. At the moment, in late April 2020, the world is largely in lock down, and working from home, unless their work is considered to be ‘essential’. Covid-19 is a virus that is more deadly than the flu, and has killed many people around the world. I had the idea that this was an important time, and the things, and ideas written at this time, would become historically important.
And so began “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses To Covid-19”. I began asking for writers and poets to submit their words about this, on this blog with this post, and things have gone on from there. I was just reading through my blog posts, looking for that one that I just put the link up too, and it was interesting reading them all. I was hovering on the edge of pausing my other writing project, not really wanting to get stuck properly into it, and then, Bang, the anthology took over.
That’s how it feels. This Plague Invasion anthology idea has taken over my life. Normal things are no longer possible, not in this lock down phase, but I can call for submission of creative writing relating to Covid-19, for sure. It seems to have stepped up as the most important thing I can do write now. Writers are those who have a need to write, and editors are the people who work to help writers to get their words ‘out there’.
So if you’re a writer, with things you want, or need to share with others, please consider the Anthology I’m working on. It will become a book. I have a strong passion to make that happen, I have enough money to make it happen, it will happen. I hope you want to help, and will send in your poetry or prose concerning Covid-19, and we can make the book happen together.
I don’t know how long it will take to have this anthology put together and printed. I’ve written on this blog that I will go on accepting work until the end of July this year. So that will mean it won’t be ready to be published, and have copies of the book available until closer to the end of this year … Will the Covid-19 thing all be over and forgotten about by then? I don’t think so. I think it will still be very much with us. And books such as this one I will produce will be there, to remind us about this time, so the truth of it is never lost, hidden by the ‘official’ story.
write it down, get it out!
So write your own true Covid-19 words, and know you are helping to record history, for yourself, for your community, and for us all.
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 