Tag: inspiration

therapeutic writing

Writing About Painful Things

carolyncordon

Life happens, sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s bad, and sometimes it just is. On Saturday, it was definitely bad, the thing that happened. I stupidly incurred the wrath of the Slipper Fairy, by wearing my inside slippers outside, instead of using my outside slippers, or some other appropriate footwear.

So I was tripped up by the Fairy, and as I landed, I fractured two bones in my right ankle, and damaged my ligaments, and painfully. It hurt when I tried to get up, because a fractured ankle is a painful thing, I definitely know that now, if you try to put weight on it.

But after three ambulance rides, and three hospitals, an operation, and lots of drugs to assist with pain and things, I’m finally home, seated on my own sofa, looking at my own TV, with my dog, and my husband, finally!

I’ve had lots of lying time, lots of sleeping time, and have written a few new bits and pieces, which I felt comforted by, so they were definitely therapeutic to me. Writers write a variety of things for a variety of reasons, and for me, in this recovery time, therapy is definitely up there high on my list.

So, broken ankles hurt, the Slipper Fairy is a mean bitch, and I have definitely learned my lesson well! I had lots of books with me while I was in hospital, but only really read one of the, and that was Massimo Pigliucci’s book “How to be a Stoic”, which certainly helped me in this less than lovely ‘interlude’.

I have no complaints at all about any of the things that happeded to me, the ambulance rides were as good as you could hope for, the people in the various hospitals were all nice to me, and helpful. I feel privileged to have been looked after so well.

I’m lucky because I am financially able to pay for private health insurance, so can afford to pay for all of these things, without going broke. I certainly feel for those who are not so fortunate.

In my rehabilitation times, from now on (for six or so weeks, I’m told), I will be thinking more, being a good Stoic, and I hope writing lots more. This interlude may put a halt to my thoughts of becoming a ‘Cozy Mystery’ writer, who knows.

I certainly had the thought that my little town of Talloola, which the proposed Cozy Mystery series is set in, must have a hospital, because I can write about this, now that I’ve spent time living in three different hospitals!

Perhaps my main Character, Meredith will also enrage the Slipper Fairy, and pay the price for it!

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?

inspiration, Writing

Looking for Something …

carolyncordon

When a writer is in between projects, or has let one thing rest, and is working towards thinking about it again, and deciding what might do next, they may be looking for the inspirational thing that will pump up the volume, and get them going hard again on their writing. They may look like they’re not doing anything at all, but deep inside their head, there could be mighty ‘thinks’ going on, unknown to the rest of the world, and unknown even to them.

analysis blackboard board bubble
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It can be a time of ‘fluffing around’, doing little bits of writing, bigger bits of totally non writing things. Gazing at clouds and trees and birds may occur. The dog could be let outside, and let back in again, with resultant non-literary work a welcome step aside back to the ‘ordinary’ world.

Then a thought may come, and another, and suddenly that half-written novel or poetry collection springs back into life and the words may flow as strongly as a flooding river! That time can be a glorious one of inspiration, and words, all flowing together in beautiful ways!

If you have ever been in this wonderful time of “flow”, you will understand, if you haven’t been there yet, if you keep on writing, it is sure to happen at some stage, perhaps when you are able to give uninterrupted time to your writing. Sometimes, afterwards, it might feel like the words were written by another person, but take joy in it all, these may be the finest words you have ever managed to write!

Or there may be some bits of dross, stuff that doesn’t make sense to you, but keep on with what you’re doing, it might all come together at a later time. Look for any gems of inspiration, and who knows, it may be that what you wrote is actually a quite different style, that might take time to come to terms with.

If you’ve been writing poetry, perhaps your brain decided to write a novel when you weren’t paying attention, in that state of flow. Look at your work, your words, and prepare to keep an open mind about what you’ve done! 20190618_142947

I find Nature inspirational, the trees, the blue sky and the clouds, lovely!

 

Writing is a strange thing to do, a solitary thing, working alone, as you prepare something you’d like to share with multitudes! So keep an open mind, as I said, and always be prepared to trust your writer’s brain, when things really take off, you never know where you might end up. Sometimes a writing prompt can work like this, you’re given something random to write about, and Bang!, something beautiful happens with your words!

This is what inspiration is, you can’t guarantee it will come, but you should make the most of it when and if it does! If you have a story of a time you were inspired, I’d love to read about it, leave a comment here, and tell us about it!

poetry, Writing

Festival Fun!

carolyncordon

The Adelaide Plains Poets writing group, has been running a ‘Festival of Words’ for the past 5 years. This is certainly a thing to be proud of, and the fact we have made a profit every year, gives us one more thing to be proud of.

This year, 2019, we are going to have a Festival over 5 nights and days, and venturing into new events and new venues, as well as the usual ones. It is getting close to Festival time, and I am proud to present our program, here:

http://festivalofwords.info/programme.html

This Festival is put on by a small writing group, but a group that is not afraid to take on challenges. We have a sub-committee who are doing great things, to make this Festival one that brings an exciting mix of word related events, written, spoken, with writing workshops, writing exercises, a Keynote Speaker of note, and a fun train journey!

And throughout the festival, friendship and food feature, at various venues in the Greater Adelaide Plains region. The event will be opened by the Mayor of Gawler, Karen Redmond, who has been extremely supportive of our group, and especially of this Festival.

The theme of this Festival is Location, and it is an interesting one again. We pride ourselves of the interesting themes we have for our Festivals. One of the important things our writing group does is to run a national poetry competition, which has the same theme as the Festival. The winners of the Poetry Competition are announced on the final day of the Festival, with the winning poems being read at the Gawler Poets at the Pub, with will be the final event for the Festival.

This Gawler Poets at the Pub event began more than twenty years ago, and is still going strong. There isn’t always a large number of attendees, but the quality of the poetry read is always high.

If you’re anywhere near Gawler toward the end of July this year, make sure you check out the Program, and find something interesting to do, you’ll be glad you did!