A friend from my main writing group (hi Marie!), gave me an idea that I’m thrilled with, the idea of posting a writing prompt every day in February. So, I’m going to find my little box of writing prompts I’ve put away ‘somewhere safe’.
I think I know where this ‘safe place’ is and very soon, I will look for it, so I will be able to put up a new prompt every day for February. I’m looking forward to this, and will quite likely post my own response every day, if I’m happy with what I’ve written.
So the safe spot wasn’t where I thought it might be, but that doesn’t mean this Prompt a Day creative writing spectacular won’t happen, no way! My mind is abuzz with writing prompts, and I’ll easily find a new one for every day!
Finding something to write about can be a thing that stops new writing at times, but for me, the difficulty is actually dealing with all of the ideas I have. But new prompts leading to new ideas, are always good things, for writers, particularly if they have a possible new book in the offing, as I do, several new books, in fact.
One of those potential books is another poetry collection, which I hope will meet the approval of the publisher I send it to. If that is to happen though, I have to make the collection the best I possibly can, and having a broad range of my own poems to choose from will certainly help.
So I hope February, and the writing prompts I’m going to post (one every day of February), will help both me personally, and other people too, to find poetic and/or creative writing success.
So if you, or anyone you know, wants something that will give creative ideas, why not come and visit every day next month! May February be the month that really brings your writing alive!
A writers’ lock in is when a group of writers all get together for a set period of time, and they write! Simple, yes? Yes it can be, if the group has a place available that has tables and chairs, and with food, drinks, and toilets available. Such a place is where my writing group meets every week.
It’s a hotel in Gawler, the Prince Albert Hotel, where the Adelaide Plains Chapter and Verse group catches up for our meetings at 4-6 every Thursday afternoon, and again on the last Sunday of every month, for the Gawler Poets at the Pub event, which has been going for over twenty years.
And every now and then, our group holds a Lock-in, and today is the day again, hooray. Personally, I have several writing projects I wish to work harder on, and not be bothered by chores at home, so today will be a great day for working on those projects, I can knuckle down and write, knowing that the other people there with me are doing the same thing, on their own projects.
The vibe in the room will be all about getting our words written, that’s it. There will be some talking too, of course, because that’s what humans do, but it won’t be lame rubbish nothing talk. Or hey maybe some of it might be, but that can help with the writing too, to have a joke too, so the pressure level doesn’t get too high. And there might well be some things the executive of the group needs to work on, and this will be a good opportunity for that too.
We’re very lucky to have this great hotel to work in,and work with, and they’re very lucky to have us there too. We have food and drinks there, and bring other people in too, when we have our events at the P/A. Many people have commented on what a lovely hotel it is, very historic, and with fine food, and a great range of drinks.
So I know the Writers’ Lock-in will be starting when the hotel opens at 11.30am, and will go through to 4, for our usual group meeting, and then there might be dinner after, for those interested in that. I hope to get lots done, but even if I don’t dramatically improve my work count, I will definitely get some sort of a start on all three projects.
If you live in or around Gawler, and you write, why not come and join us, you’ll be most welcome!
I am a writer, I write for a number of reasons, but I’m thinking right now, I can use my writing skills for assisting good things to happen. Not good things for me, but for my community, my country, and for the world!
I am the editor of a monthly newsletter, that goes out to my local community, and beyond. I have hundreds of people who read that newsletter, the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle. As editor, I have complete control over what gets printed and distributed, and I feel like this avenue is a fine one to assist me in helping good things happen.
I often slip in little items of interest, random thoughts and ideas, so from now on, some of these items may begin to get a lot more serious. The country is burning, and my passion for doing what I can to help is also burning. We all can do something to help, whether by growing trees with Trees for Life, getting involved with a community group that helps other people in various ways, or something else that truly speaks to you.
I’m looking for the good in all, in the hope others will want me to see it in them too! That’s my take on life, especially right now, thinking about the way our country is burning, people, property, animals, habitat, dying … But there are wonderful people doing wonderful things, both big things and small, and in this way, Australia can keep on going, doing the best we can.
As a writer, I will use my way with words for good, sharing good being done, finding good within myself, and in others, sharing the good news, and spreading hope and help however I can. I suggest that I’m not the only person out there, there are many writers with a much wider audience than I have, and I welcome anyone in this position top do whatever they can do too!
If you have a voice in the community, use it to speak good things, spread good news stories, engender hope, and together we can be forces for good!
I have to admit that my recent injury and hospital stay, followed by recovery at home, has slowed down the writing of my next writing project, a Cozy Mystery series. But with action on the fractured ankle front happening tomorrow, with more to follow the next day, I’m back to being interested in this project.
If you don’t know what a Cozy Mystery novel is, this website has lots of information to tell you about it. You could also take a look at thisĀ earlier blog post of mine on the subject, and continue reading this post.
Today I have taken a look back at my files on my laptop, where I have written some early notes for some possible books in my proposed series, as well as thinking harder about the first couple of books, what has to happen, and whether and what still needs to happen, to make it ALL happen!
A series of books, each having 28 chapters, is a big thing, but I feel that if I can get the first two written, and written well, it can happen the way I want it too. Cozy mysteries feel right to me, while the thriller I was going to be writing didn’t sit so easily in who I consider myself to be. If I’m going to be killing people, I don’t want to see the the blood and guts!
At the moment, I thinking about Who I’m going to kill off first, and How I’m going to do it. And Why of course … If I’m going to begin murdering certain townsfolk of the town of Talloola, there had better be a good enough reason for it to happen! Talloola only has around 500 people living in and around it, and while I’m sure some out-of-towners will be victims, some residents may have to go too.
I plan to write at least twelve to fifteen of these books in the series, if it works out, so I’d better hope Talloola can get a good tourism industry going, or maybe some industry, so the numbers of people there won’t ‘drop off’ too much!
Given my recent injury (I fractured my right ankle on Grand Final day), I had an idea that one of the football players, might also suffer from a fractured ankle too. After all the experts say you should write what you know, and I know know quite a bit more about having a broken ankle now, that’s for sure.
I really do feel like this is the correct writing genre for me, and I’m excited about making it happen! The writing, of course is the hard part, but I’ve enjoyed doing the actual writing of it so far, and have over 8000 words written on on book. There’s still quite a few more words to go, but it feels good to write it, so it’s a blessing, not a trial. I hope tomorrow a good few more word will come to being!
If you know anything about the Cozy Mystery genre, I’d love a few hints and tips! Many thanks, and goodbye.
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!
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 hasĀ 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!
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 