The Value of Words

So, at this particular time in history, we are on the cusp of changing the President of the United States of America. Whatever and whoever you would prefer to have as the actual President come 2021, we have witnessed many words, some false, some true, so spoken with a boasters bluff, some with a humble hope and strength in belief.

I am not a religious person, but when listening to the first speech of President Elect Joe Biden, I was impressed by his words, the way he calmly, but strongly put forward his hopes for all of the people of the United States of America, and for the better future for the whole world. No bragging, just a calm strength of purpose.

If I were to model my own possible life as a public speaker, I would watch this speech, time and time again. If I were able to give my words in such a strong and hopeful way, no rubbish, just truth and hope for better things to some. No bragging about myself, only truth of who I am and what I have done. Not false words on what I will do, if I can’t do it, but words of hope for bigger and better things that may be possible, if I were able to inspire better things for the future.

I can do this!

True words, strong words, hope and care. Can I be that person, to do this? I believe I can, and I know I can and will write and speak words that touch others, I’ve done it before, I can do it again, if and when the moment and inspiration both come, and my chance to speak has come. I can be that person.

I value words, and I am committed to producing words of value, because the words deserve that from all of us, who call ourselves wordsmiths. The words deserve our very best work!

A Writer’s Work …

Today I have been well aware of the novel I am wanting to write. The book is sitting in a part of my brain, waiting to leap into action, as soon as I settle down to write it. I want to write the book, I feel very fond of my characters, and am keen to have the book finished, and move onto the next book in the series.

But instead of writing that novel, I have instead spent time today doing other things. Some of those things are the things that we all must do, eating, household things, exercise. We must do these things to be a member of the household we live in.

Another of the things I have done today is definitely related to being a writer, but it is not writing that book, or any other new poem or short story. Today I have worked on putting together a flyer for myself as a Speaker and Presenter.

This is a very important part of my Writer’s life. If I can speak or present workshops to people, I will have the opportunity, perhaps, to sell copies of my own books, as well as perhaps getting payment for these presentations.

Some people have a fear of public speaking, I most definitely don’t! I may have been shy as a child and teenager, but I’ve certainly made up for that ever since I grew up!

So that has been my day so far. Other aspects of my writing related life over involvement with my writing group, editing a monthly community newsletter, and getting out and about, living a life and gain inspiration from my life and from Nature, too.

Being involved takes away time to write, but it can add much to my writing, to anyone’s writing. The more a person knows about things, the greater range of interesting things they can write about.

xxxxx

Back again, I’ve just been out to the backyard, and watered the plants out there that need it, as requested by my husband. He’s been busy doing other things around the yard, it would have been churlish of me to refuse to do anything. I may have a disability, but there are still many things I’m easily able to do!

Our garden in the backyard is a place of inspiration to me too, after all!

Public Speaker, Workshop Presenter …

I have been a poet and writer of prose, as well as a blogger for quite some years now, but the life of being a Public Speaker, in any big way, has long eluded me. But now, oh now, I feel that is all about to change.

I have a disability, Multiple Sclerosis, OH how sad, right? Not really, it’s under control with medication and lifestyle actions, from diet, to exercise, as well as working to live as stress-free and positive life as I can. It seems to be working, I haven’t had a relapse for quite some time. I know, though, that one could hit me at any time.

I was diagnosed with MS back in 2010, ten years ago, so it’s something I know quite a bit about. I’ve also been interested in dogs, in a few different ways, dogs as pets, showing dogs, breeding purebred dogs, doing obedience training too, in a minor way. And writing about dogs, in both serious, and amusing ways, with three books so far, about a dog who lives in my mind, named Buster the Dog!

Not Buster the Dog, but our Dog, Missy, with her little friend Herman the German.

Gardening is an interesting thing in my life too, and I’m currently getting assistance to get my place made safer for me, and with better quality of life. This is paid for by the government, via the NDIS, and I am grateful for that, or I will be once it is all finished.

I also have lived experience of child sexual and other sexual abuse, fortunately from a much earlier time in my life, my life now is much happier. I have a poetry collection I put together when I was in the healing process of becoming more settled in my life over the things that had happened to me, victim to survivor, and now I can say I am thriving.

So my way of getting through life has relied very much on using my words to heal myself, to entertain others, to explore my life, and the lives of others. And I love to speak to people! Sitting down in small groups and chatting, standing up with a microphone and speaking to a crowd, I love it!

So now, I have a support worker, paid for by NDIS, and she and I are looking to find speaking engagements for me. I give her possible groups I could speak to, and she is working toward getting gigs booked. She will assist me too, once I actually get engagements, by carrying my books I will bring, for possible sales, and book signing, fun times!

And soon, the writing group I’m involved with will be holding its monthly writing workshop, and poetry reading, and I am going to be one of the two workshop presenters, hooray! I will be talking about some forms of poetry, the other presenter another one and some tips of getting small poetry forms published in a particular magazine she has been published in, an Australian one.

I definitely feel like my life, even in these awful Covid times, is heading in a good direction.

Who Am I? What Am I?

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.

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.

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?

On Being Well-Known

When (or if) a person becomes well-known, or famous, they may face new duties they hadn’t considered previously. And there isn’t really any training in how to handle these duties, because each well-known person may be well known for different reasons, and in different ways.

Everyone, though should know what is a good thing to do, and really, that’s what all of us should think on, famous or not. The better known a person is, the more responsibilities they may have put on them, like it or not, but they may also have more money, and can afford to off load some of those responsibilities.

This would certainly take off some of their pressure, but there will always be some tasks only one person can do, and if you’re that person, you owe it to everyone to do your best. You owe it to yourself too, of course, and nobody gains good things for being infamous, rather than famous. Infamy may bring notice, but not in a good way.

If I go into my local town, many people will say hello Carolyn to me, and I’ll say hello back. I’ll name them if I do know their name, but often I won’t know. I’ve been closely involved in this town for over ten years, as the editor of the local newsletter, and many townspeople know me in that role.

Some of them also know I am a writer and poet. Is this fame, am I famous? No, I don’t think so – in that town, I may be well known, but calling ‘famous’ is going too far. I am known in other places too, in my role as poet and writer, as President of my writing group, where I lead the way to some events that are become more and more ‘known’.

Being well known gives a person a bit of an audience, a range of others who will listen to what you say. Certainly, my most recent writerly ‘thing’ being the judge of a poetry competition came about because I was known as a poet who knew what she was doing, regarding poetry, to the relevant person.

I am very small biscuits though, on the ‘famous writer’ list of people to talk about, or listen to. I would get a publicist, if I had the money to pay for one, but if I could get the money to pay for one, I would have proved I was capable of doing the job myself, and my Methodist mind set would tell me I shouldn’t pay money for it, if I could do it myself … It’s a bit like the old ‘which came first the chicken or the egg’ story …

Things happen when they happen, I will continue with my writing, my blogging, attending/running/being involved with poetry and writing things. It’s what I do, it’s what writers do – we write and if we are good enough or lucky enough, we may finally write the ‘big thing’ that makes us famous!

Do I dream of fame? Oh yes, fame, requests to speak at events, having opportunities to sell and sign my books, these are on my list of things I’d like more of. Will it happen though? Who knows, all I can do is keep on writing, become better at putting the word out about who I am and what I do. Being well known is gratifying, being famous, oh, yes, that would be great!