Day Fifty: Writing a bestseller?

Busy with writing today, and if I had even the slightest notion that I will be able to enter the TV3/Poolbeg competition, then I you won't

see me here again until Christmas... (which reminds me, don't forget to order your Christmas cards from the Little Wings Shop )

Anyway they're asking for a completed novel between 100.000 and 120.000 words before 17th December.

Just checked and I have about 6000 words... and a few thousand words elsewhere on the computer, and many many more in my head, but I don't think they count in this case

For those of you in Ireland who have been working on a novel a bit longer, here are the details:

• Write a Bestseller
• Imagine seeing your name on the bestseller list in 2011?
• If you've ever dreamt of being a published author now is your chance to make it happen. The Morning Show with Sybil & Martin have teamed up with Poolbeg Press, Ireland's leading publishing house, to offer you the prize of a lifetime -the chance to see your novel published and on bookshelves around the country.
• For more see: Article
• See here for an entry form

Bye now,

Back to work!

PS, a great website for writers in Ireland: http://creativewriting.ie/

Day forty-nine: Shadows

shadow of the 'people in my family tree'

It might be a strange notion, but I like shadows.

Shadows can create images at times more wonderful and interesting than it's original.

Take a plant in the windowsill at nighttime. Illuminated by a streetlight, the shadow on the wall takes on a completely new identity. Spidery- Spooky- Ready for Halloween

Walking in the low hanging autumn sun, my shadow is long. I am TALL! And my walking stick is not recognisable as a stick any longer.

(...may I divert a little, I was walking on a beach a while back and my shoes left an imprint in the wet sand. For some reason, my stick did not. This REALLY excited me! No stick!)

Anyway shadows. The shadows of the telephone poles over the field in this same autumn sun, stretch out to the end of the field.

Distortion. Beauty. Intrigue.

Last night I was sitting in my study, under a wall light. My Family Tree sculpture - on which I am still working- stands across the room. The shadows of the 'people' I see in the tree-stump were clearly visible on the wall.

I 'found' a new figure in it too - a dancer- only visible because of the shadow.

Day forty-eight: reality hits back

(I will let a few videos do the 'talking for today)

Last night after writing my musings about Facebook,

I felt good. Happy. Contented.

As usual I created a link to Facebook and Twitter.

On Facebook I had a quick check to see what others had posted...

Sus had just posted this video:

Here is my own story about M.E. (in two parts)

Filmed and edited by Irish Artist David Begley

in 2003:

Fit to Fly

(note that the first video starts with a black screen for ten seconds.)

for those of you still looking for more 'entertainment'

here is the link to the documentary Flight Path accompanying my book Hatched.

A story of triumph, picking up my 'baby' from the printers

Thank you for taking the time to watch, and please do forward any of the video's to bring more awareness to the condition M.E. which brings huge devastating to so many people.

Day forty-seven: musing

Time for some musings. Strange word actually... musings:

absorbed in thought/ meditative/ contemplation/reflection

My 'musings' were going to the strange and wonderful world of Facebook, Second Life, Twitter, ... Blogging

There I have said it, I am enjoying Facebook... and blogging... although I still don't really understand Twitter. But thank you my followers!

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while, might remember that I did a small survey on the effects of social networks for people with M.E. At that time I had only just succumbed, reluctantly I must add, to Facebook and had a blogger page because I trusted my friend Shannon's suggestion of this.

Forty-seven days ago, I started writing an almost daily blog, partly (to convince myself) of a change for the better in my health, and partly to share with others my love for writing and life around me.

Every time I write I create link to Facebook and Twitter. Suddenly I have people all over the world, whom I've never met, and probably never will, reading my thoughts, sharing my pain, and delight in the small triumphs.

I am in awe of all the kindness you, my readers, my friends, are bringing me.

Cyberspace is where I have met the most wonderful of people, some living with the same condition as me, others who share a love of books, or creativity. All add something to my life. There are young people and people older than me. Age doesn't matter, race, state of health, country of origin, none matters. On Facebook.. and I am sure also on Twitter, we are equal.

If you can run a marathon and I can walk to a little up the path to Ballynelligan, we are both equal in cyberspace.

What a joy is has been to share funny video's, small anecdotes of life around us, the joy of growing vegetables, of watching the birds, of given someone who has a bad day, a virtual hug. To chat with someone in Australia, in Ireland, or young teenager who loved my Cirrus book.

Why oh why did I not want to see this at first. I was very much against Facebook... I didn't want to know what one had or breakfast or if someone had brushed his or her teeth that morning... Little did I know that I would be excited to check up on my friends in the morning, see what they've been up to and to read the lovely comments from 'virtual strangers' - no they are 'virtual- real friends'! I remember even a photograph of what one of my friends had for breakfast... A great image.

I rest my case, and will muse a little further on my own.

Goodnight my friends.

Day forty-5+6 Autumn

I feel privileged to have my little home

with a view

over a field,

with trees

in their autumn outfit,

birds in the sky

and on the wall opposite me,

and bare mountains

bright with a warm glow

as if they are proud

to be there.

What else would anyone ask for?

Day forty-four

I received a hard copy of the edited Hatched (Re-Hatched) in the post yesterday. So far the only thing I have done today, is making the slightest corrections. Other than that, it was a day of rest.

A snippet from the second edition:

From the reviews of Hatched

‘Hatched is one of the most energetic, generous-hearted, sharp minded and inspiring books of poems I’ve read for quite a while.’

Poet Brendan Kennelly

‘“Great day for a walk” – is not just a greeting, but a celebration for the human spirit.

Hatched deserves an international audience, and merits a place on best-seller lists.’

Munster Express

‘It is beautiful. Really beautiful. It gives me courage.’

Dianne Mawhood

‘The lesson of the deeply personal yet emphatic diary that is Hatched is that you don’t have to get ME to embrace them.’

Dungarvan Observer

‘This is something really special and uplifting.’

Interaction magazine

‘I found tears rolling down my cheeks- tears of both empathy and relief. You have shared your experiences in a simple, beautiful, and human way.’

Sue Page

‘Corina Duyn is living proof of the adage that you can’t keep a good woman down.’

Irish Examiner

For further information about the author’s art and writing, please visit www.corinaduyn.com

There are some first editions left, see the shop on the website