Tag: writing prompts

Writing

The Writing Of My Novel

carolyncordon

Today was Anzac Day, and my writing group held a Writers Lock In at the venue we meet at every week, the Prince Albert Hotel in Gawler, South Australia. Four of us got together when we could in the morning, and stayed until our usual group meeting time. We wrote, and wrote, working on whatever of our writing projects were that we wished to put a big effort into.

I had previously decided I would spend my time putting as many of my small bits of my novel-in-progress, a story with the working title of “Talloola Travails”, into the main file of that work. Last night I wrote down the current word count I had so far for the novel. it was nowhere near as high a number as I need, but there were all of my bits and pieces I have been writing at our group meetings, when we are given a writing prompt, and I have been thinking about my novel, and what my main character will do with that prompt …

I have many such hand written words, of around 150 to 300 words each, in various notebooks I have. If I put all of those words into the actual file of the novel I have on my laptop, and then add the bits I have on my phone, (in Notes), that will add many more words to my total. I did 1661 words today and there are probably at least twenty times that many words left to type up, and transfer …

So that’s 33220 plus the words already there – and that makes 47645 words in my novel, without writing anything new. Then there will be the words needed to join all of the pieces together, plus words to draw out the various plot pieces and sub plots, many of which exist only in my head …

If I add all of that together, I expect I will have around 60,000 words in total, and in this day and age that is enough words to make a novel, except for the genre this story is, I probably need to have more words than that. I’ll look that up now, while I’m thinking about it.

OK, so my book is a political thriller, of sorts, and the given word length for that genre is 70,000 to 90,000 words. Another word count, on another web page has given 75,000 words as the minimum count, with an upper limit of 130,000 words. I certainly can’t see this work getting to that high number of words, although who knows what might happen? The lower numbers are quite achievable I think.

I have been working on this piece since 2016, writing these small responses to prompts, using some of them to place written pieces inside of a plot outline, using the “Heroes Journey” format. This link gives a great description on what that format is, and if you want to write fiction with some kind of high level action to it, this classic style is a golden oldie, much used for exciting stories, both novels and movies.

I have a lot more work to do on feeding in and ‘fattening’ various subplots, and possibly will benefit from doing more work on each of my characters, so I know more about each of them. I think I can wait on that task until I’ve got the already written pieces slotted into the novel as it is now, first though, so it will be easier to see what I’m dealing with, in terms of things that need to be written still.

I hope you have found this look into how I am writing this novel interesting, I had a good time looking at some of the bits and pieces of what I’m doing. I realise it would be far more sensible to write directly onto my laptop. I’m not sure why I’d been hesitating about taking my laptop with me to our writers group in the past. There have been problems with internet connection at that venue in the past, but today, there was a good internet connection and none of us had any problems there at all.

I didn’t have my laptop until quite recently though, and I’m still learning about it, so felt pen on paper would be my best way to go, or writing notes on my phone … There are many ways to write a novel, and I am certainly exploring a few different ones! Being open to change, and using what is available are good ways to go in all of life, for sure.

I have no deadline for the completion on this novel, but I want to have a first draft done, and given to others to read for feedback. I’ve been reading my pieces at the writing group each week at meetings, and the other group members always seem to think it’s good, even though they haven’t read it in a connected narrative form just bits and pieces, from disparate sections of the story.

This story has been with me for three years now, and I am beginning to see an end to it all, where until our writer lock in today, I hadn’t really thought much about when this may end, and sometimes I almost decided to just forget about the whole thing. But then at the next writing group meeting, Meredith (my main character), would tell me what was going to happen, based on the writing prompt given by Alex. And I know members of the group would probably to actually like to read the full story to make sense of the scraps they heard from me over the past few years.

I’ve written the ending of the story, so I know what I’m heading toward, I just have to fill in the gaps to bring it all to that place …

If you have any ideas about good ways to write a novel, I’d love to read about it, feel free to leave a comment here.

poetry

Is Prose Poetry Actually Cheating?

carolyncordon

Yesterday, for my poem a day (#poemadayfeb), I wrote a prose poem based on the theme of ‘first’. The prose poem flowed, and gained a little bit of attention from other poets, online, which was lovely. I didn’t feel like that prose poem was cheating, because quite a bit of thought went into the writing of it, as it does for more ‘form’ related poetry written.

My poem today though, as soon as I saw the prompt, I felt the urge to make it another prose poem, and the words just flowed, and flowed, with only a bare minimum of editing needed, so it really did feel a little bit like cheating – is poetry supposed to be as easy as just thinking a bit and letting the words flow? Really?

If it is allowed to be that easy, is there truly real merit? But of course, the mind that holds all of the ‘stuff’ that flows onto the page/screen, that mind is working hard at scratching up the relevant bits, and piecing them all together in a harmonious way (I hope that’s how it will seem to others, anyway) …

I certainly enjoyed the writing of this prose poem today, but I suspect tomorrow will bring back my more usual poetic format of writing poems in short lines, either rhyming or not … We’ll see what happens when I see tomorrow’s poetry prompt.

So to today’s poem, as I said, another Prose Poem, a shorter one this time, and one that may not have as much impact as yesterday’s prose poem, we shall see. So here it is:

thinking on too many things perhaps? or just the correct number …

I’m almost shivering on this rain & wind struck day, Summer hiding, as I too hide, from the unseasonable cold. Walls holding most of this inclement weather at bay, but the open window on my left, is open to … to what? To let the fresh air in? … as if there probably isn’t already enough air, fresh enough for good health, inside this home, as most comfortable middle-class homes, already have, probably. Especially this home, my home, my rural but not farmhouse home, set amongst farmland, but far enough away from the farms, that I don’t have to worry too much, about bad things blowing in, from any of the agriculturalists’ toxic chemical weaponry, used to assist to bring good food to our nation, keeping unwanted things – fungus, insects, weeds, and so on, at bay … Farming, such a lovely thing, those gentle cows, those placid sheep, from where I watch, anyway – I’m well away from the abattoir, so I can pretend a little bit, and not gag at the idea of meat cooking on the bbq, but enjoy the work of the livestock producers instead … Changing ideas, or back to the original one, really … apparently it will be hot again in the week, an app told me that, when I looked on my mobile source of knowledge, formerly known as a ‘phone’, (which I sometimes actually use to talk to people on, but not often) … anyway looking with my eyes right now, through the opened window on my left, it looks like Summer has signed off for the season, and has let Autumn in, reminding me that climate and seasons, both change …

poetry

Today’s Poem Has Arrived!

carolyncordon

I’ve had to have my evening meal, and watch our favourite TV medical drama, but finally, the poem for this, the 8th of February is here. I’ve done a little bit more editing (a tiny bit), and now the poem is ready. The TV program was a taped one, and it’s one we always watch together, my husband and I. That point is an important one, in the terms of this particular poem I wrote for #poemadayfeb.

When you read the  poem, you should be able to see the truth of what I just said …

So here it is, the Poem for the 8th of February:

 

Prompt of “Body

My body is mine, not anyone else’s,

shared only with my permission.

It’s travelled with me, all my life,

a little damage in transmission.

 

We’ve been around, my body & I,

but our travelling days are over;

Thirty-plus years of married life –

husband & I, rolling in clover!

 

We share our lives, & our thoughts,

& some of the things we do,

not always though, not all the time,    

& that, I think, is the clue.

 

Time to just be by yourself

or with your friends, not his,

I suspect is why we never fight –

a pair, but each with our own biz.

 

He plays bowls, I’m a poet

He’s in the Lions, I’ve a writing group,

but every night we sleep together,

& really, I think that’s the scoop.

 

Sharing the bed, sharing our lives,

liking some things the same, not all –

together but not always, that’s the go

apart, yes, but differences are small …

poetry, writing exercise

Covering Same Issues

carolyncordon

With these writing prompts, that I write on every new day, I don’t know at the the start which direction my muse may take me. But the direction I headed straight away today, was to a place I’ve been before. Thoughts on ‘Hidden’ things have been a huge theme for my creative writing, and have brought good results, of various types, financial, therapeutic, and for the broader community too.

I have written more about the kind of thing I write about in today’s poem, on another of my blog, this one. I created that blog to help with promoting my poetry collection of the same name.

I don’t think I need to go to much further here now though, the poem I wrote for today, which is Day 6 of #poemadayfeb, will tell the story. I have been very much enjoying being involved with this daily poetry writing idea, & I hope I definitely stick with it to the rest of February, and perhaps beyond, using writing prompts from somewhere else. I have a box of writing prompts hidden away somewhere, and I have plenty of time to find them …

 

So here it is, my poem for this sixth day of February:

 

Finally Healing

 

It hurt so much, you kept it hidden,

your shame at what you’d done,

& knowing doing that was wrong.

 

But talk of ‘love’, was always there –

on radio, tv, movies, ever present,

& ‘love’ was what he’d  claimed …

 

But love in childhood isn’t that,

love for a child is pure & sweet,

what he did to you, wasn’t pure.

 

You held your story close inside,

until clarity & truth arrived at last –

with realisation fault wasn’t yours.

 

The adult, he was to blame for this,

you didn’t do it, it was done to you –

a child – the fault, all of it, was his.

 

He died alone, his crime unknown

except by other victims, perhaps.

& you’re all alive, your secrets told

 

& in telling, finding needed peace,

forgiving yourself, confident now

to tell your truth, & in telling, heal

poetry

Day 4 of #poemadayfeb

carolyncordon

Another day, another poem … The theme for today’s poem for this poetry projecct for February, is ‘Inside’ … As I’m sitting on the sofa this morning, laptop on lap, window the the left of me, TV screen in front of me, Missy our dog on her sofa on my left, it was easy to find things to put into an “inside” themed poem.

IMAG0306

So this poem is basically life as it happened, with some further thougthts about my life, Missy’s life, my husband’s life, and possible further life … At the moment, I’m happy enough with today’s poem, it isn’t loaded with metaphor or fancy poetic form constraints, it isn’t ‘clever’ or terribly deep, really.

It’s just my new poem, with some of my thoughts about the day, today, the fourth day of February, and what is happening right here, right now.

Here is the poem, I hope you like it. Feel free to post a comment, if you wish. About my poem, about the contents of this blog, about the #poemadayfeb project, about anything!

Here is today’s poem:

 

My Inside/Outside Life

 

Sitting inside, looking out,

I see cars passing by,

& trees with waving branches –

waving hello to me?

No, just waving, at the dictates

of the breeze.

 

Inside with me, are Missy,

& the TV screen.

Missy & I both ignore

screen’s action, Superbowl?

Pfft, who cares? Not us,

none of our business.

 

What is our business?

Is it inside or outside?

Missy is pet dog,

self-installed ‘guard’ dog,

hubby’s walking companion,

so for her it’s both.

 

My business is, hmm, what?

Writing? Community stuff?

‘Business’ is a textured word,

spiky with taxation obligations

& other rules & regulations,

but can be rewarding, too …

 

I’m a pensioner,

my ‘business’ is untainted

by money, & taxation,

unless my business was to off,

climbing above & beyond

inside/outside constraints.

 

Writing, & community,

writing about community,

just writing, writing a poem

writing a novel, writing my way

into things, bigger and better

than my inside/outside life?