Tag: life

poetry

My Next Book Launch

carolyncordon

I love book launches, especially when it’s my own book that’s being launched! I’ve never launched this kind of book before, a slim little volume known as a ‘chapbook’ or ‘chap book’.

These books are scaled down versions of poetry collections smaller both in size, and number of poems within the pages. Chap books are excellent for presenting your words to readers at a cost everyone should be able to afford, only $5.00! And they are so small and light, you can easily carry spare copies with you wherever you go, ready for a sale!

If you have a collection of twenty or so poems, all going together nicely why not consider putting them together for the interest of all! You can ask friends along for a coffee, talk about your collection, and then casually reach into your handbag or pocket, and show the book, just like that!

So a chap book doesn’t have to be ‘about’ anything, it can just be random poems, but I think it all holds together better if there is a theme, to be ‘about’ something. So what is my collection about? Well it’s about something painful, and very personal to me. It’s about my right ankle. In particular, it’s about my newly broken right ankle.

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This break happened at the end of September, I fell over and bang, two bones broken in my right ankle, and excruciating pain. Ambulance called, medical things done, hospital to hospital, to hospital, and finally home again. And then foot up, rest, rest, rest, healing happening all of the time.

With all of this rest, the obvious thing for me was to write poems about what was happening, both out of the window near the sofa I was reclining on to rest, foot up to reduce the swelling of my ankle. I wrote about being in hospital, the birds on our front lawn I could see, and a great many other things.

I in fact had over twenty poems, and I had a name for this proposed chap book as well. This book was going to be called “Angles on Ankles”, and it would cover a broad range of subjects related to my broken ankle. I know a publisher who publishes chap books as well as larger books, Ginninderra Press, so I approached them about possibly publishing this book. They were more than happy to have a look at what I’d written.

I sent the poems off, and suddenly, the book was done super quick, like it was meant to be!

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So once a new book comes into the world, the next step after sharing the book with close friends and family is often to launch the book into the greater world, to hold a Book Launch. So I’ve done some sharing with family and friends, and have now begun organising the book launch, at a venue that I know well, and that is happy to have poets there, doing their poetic things.

This venue is the Prince Albert Hotel, in Gawler, a hotel my writing group meets at every week, and one that is the venue for a monthly poetry reading, Gawler Poets at the Pub, held on the last Sunday of the month, every month.

So on the 29th of December, at the Prince Albert hotel, or the P/A as it is known by locals, I will be officially launching “Angles on Ankles”, reading some of the poems from the book, and talking about the whole ‘adventure’ of it all.

Poetry can be written about the most unlikely of subject matter!

inspiration, poetry, Story Ideas

My Next Book

carolyncordon

My next book is with the Publisher (Ginninderra Press), and it’s out now!  The book, “Angles on Ankles” proves to me, yet again, that writing about the less than lovely things that are in our lives, can give widespread interest to readers, and that has to be a good thing, right? Right!

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This book is a chap book, a small collection of poems I wrote after I recently broke my right ankle. I fell over, breaking two bones in the ankle. An ambulance took me to one hospital for treatment, then I went to another hospital, for more treatment for a day or so, and then I went, by ambulance again to a third hospital, where I had my ankle operated on, and fixed.

While I was in hospital a friend gave me a small notebook (many thanks Laura), and I wrote a couple of poems about my broken ankle experience. Then once I was home, and having to keep zero weight on my right ankle, I spent lots and lots of time sitting around, with my right foot up, and healing.

There are 21 poems in this book (more really, but I’m including the page of Senryu, as just one poem). So even though a writing friend didn’t think there was that much to write about breaking your ankle, I’ve certainly proved him wrong! I forgive him though, and have invited him (John Malone), to launch this book for me!

In this little collection, I mention pain, gratitude, friends, things that happened, or things I saw or was a part of during this time, as well as my thoughts about the whole process. When you have to sit and you’re unable to do much because you’re not supposed to put any weight at all on your broken ankle, it gives you lots of time to think.

And think I certainly did. I was fortunate, that my pain has been minimal, apart from the extreme pain when I fell over and did the actual breaking part of this drama, that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Once the ambulance and medical people got involved though, zero pain.

I was given extreme pain relief at the very start of all of this, when my ankle was initially treated, to get the ankle back into its proper position, and then after that at the hospitals, I was given medication so I could be comfortable, and pain free. Once I came home, I had the pain medication I picked up at the last hospital I attended, all good and all pain free now.

Some of these things are in this book, “Angles of Ankles”, and I hope I get many sales, and many hugs too, from people who want to have a copy of “Angles on Ankles”. I think this book would certainly be of interest to other people who have broken their own ankle, or perhaps sustained some other break of a limb. There are also thoughts about being in hospital, and about the resting and rehabilitation process.

This is the link about how to get yourself a copy of this book, if you’d like to. The book is not for sale by the publisher to people out of Australia, but as soon as my own copies of the book arrive, that I’m going to order, I will be able to see copies to people from anywhere, as long as those wanting a copy are prepared to pay for the postage costs, as well as actual book cost.

Because these chap books are so small, they only cost around $5, so that minimal size, and cost, means even with postage overseas, the cost isn’t high. And below, for your interest, is one of the poems from my book, I hope you enjoy it!

And if you have your own stories about injuries, and extended and unexpected times of rest and recovery, Please leave a message, I’d love to commiserate with you!

 

Tibia & Fibula

 

Boredom, 

ding! bang! 

people talking,

I remain here, 

still wriggling 

& wiggling my toes,

and learning a truth 

about time –

Hospital Time 

is not the same

as normal time, 

& plans made

by hospital staff, 

while worthy,

are as brittle 

& breakable

as a bone, 

or two bones 

at once.

inspiration, Writing

Some Words About Notebooks

carolyncordon

If you’re a writer, I would expect you quite likely already know what I am going to write here, regarding notebooks. But there may be little things you have thought about before. If you’re not a writer, or don’t call yourself one yet, keep reading, you may one day join the ranks of the ‘world of writers’ and could find the information useful and interesting.

So, firstly, notebooks are excellent places for scribbling random ideas, thoughts, interesting now words, and a variety of other things. For instance, if you’re writing a novel, your notebook can be a useful place to scribble plot ideas, or some possible twists or red herrings for your novel. If you write non fiction, the notebook can be useful for noting down possible ideas for chapters, research, and so on.

I’m a novelist, (or trying to be one), but mostly I’m a poet, and I write random poems in the various notebooks I have. Going back to my novel-in-slow-progress, I have written down many short snippets for the novel I want to create, pieces that will go in the book, eventually.

But at the moment, I am putting together a chapbook, which is a small poetry collection of 15 to 40 pages. This collection has a theme, which is very personal to me. It is all about my right ankle, which I broke at the end of September this year. I want to have something in writing, looking at various aspects of what having a broken ankle is like.

So, to notebooks. When I was in hospital, a good friend of mine dropped in for a visit, and she gave me a present. This present was a notebook, which I was thrilled to receive. I have that notebook on the sofa next to me at the moment, and I was so happy when I opened it up earlier today, and looked inside.

You see, I’d already written 18 poems to go in my chapbook about my ankle, and thought that might be enough, but this notebook has two poems in it, that I can put into the chapbook! When I put all of the poems together, and include an introduction, that will make for a reasonable sized chapbook.

The great thing about notebooks is that when you have a few of them, you can go back and look in them, and discover interesting bits of writing that you’d forgotten about. I’ve found little gems of poems sometimes, and that is so thrilling, realising that yes, you are actually a fine poet, because that poem was yours!

If you want to put together a poetry collection, either a smaller chapbook, as I am currently working on, or a bigger poetry collection, always find as many of your notebooks as is possible, to bring some of your older poetic gems out into the public’s eye!

And sometimes those older notebooks can show you good things about how far you have come in your poet life, when you cringe at something you wrote many years ago, but you can now easily see ways to improve the earlier work, and turn it into something publishable.

Notebooks are also useful for writing down interesting and quirky little things that happen too. Sometimes these things can end up being funny little poems, fun to share with others when times call for amusing little things to share.

So if you are, or would like to be a writer or poet, get some notebooks, and use them as often as possible. That way you will always have material available for your writing, and you will always have something to do, write something in your notebook!

If you have any words of wisdom about notebooks, I;d love to hear it, leave a message here!

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!

Uncategorized

My First Ever ‘Stand Up Comic’ gig

carolyncordon

It wasn’t an actual gig, with advertising, posters, lots of money spent on putting it together, and getting the word out to others. It was more a simple case of me taking advantage of an opportunity and going for it.

I wrote a piece, looked at it a couple of times, thought about it, then edited it, printed it out, then went along to that opportunity and went for it! There were a variety of reasons why it was not the best ever Stand Up Comic event, and they were not all my fault.

The event was not set up for what I was doing, the audience had no idea beforehand what I would be doing, the sound quality was terrible. But even with all of that, I’m glad I had a go, and was at least OK, if not great. I am a work in progress in so many different ways!

A stand up comic act will be best if you have an audience set up ready to laugh, if they can easily hear what you’re saying, and if you’re really, really funny. That was not the way it was today, but I’ve learnt things, about the best kind of venue, a target audience, things to do next time, in other words.

Or maybe I’ll just go on being a poet and writer, who is an amusing and lovely friend, and there is no need for me to be that kind of performer. I am going to look further into this though, there is a stand up comic who is aware that I’m interested in learning more about the whole things, and I’m hoping to work with him toward the end of the year.

I am involved in a writing group, which puts on a monthly writing workshop, on a variety of different ‘word’ related things. Stand Up comedy is certainly word related, and I’m looking forward to learning more about how to put together a script, and presenting it to make people laugh.

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I can smile, I want to make other people smile too!