Christmas Eve 2006

In the past week I've read some interesting material. One of the books that I read was a doctoral dissertation where my work, "Woman Reclining" is used as part of the research materials to complete her advanced degree. I found that reading this fine manuscript was poignant and quite interesting throughout. It was neat to see my work cited as part of it too.
Even though my poem, "Woman Reclining" is a piece of literary art to many, when I composed this piece, I incorporated research into it.
As a highly educated individual I have had the ability to correlate my research into various writings which I later compose into poetry or prose. I had a feeling that if I wrote about specific feelings that a wide audience could appreciate, and that I was onto something big. I truly could feel this as I composed the piece numerous times. Furthermore, I knew that if I incorporated some of my worldly knowledge into it, that educators, researchers, and others would grasp the entire meaning of the piece quite easily.
I remember when one fellow faculty member read the piece he was very impressed with the poem. "I really, really, like it, but, I don't understand it". That put a smile on my face as I knew that as a gentleman he might not get all of the little nuances that were sprinkled throughout. I am sure that he understood the psychology behind it though.
I guess you could say that this poem, "Woman Reclining" was written for all of mankind................
Stay tuned for more on the "Woman Reclining" series........There is so much more to be written about regarding this topic......

Writing and Editing

I find that editing can be a bit frustrating if the writer hasn't made the changes that were requested to make the manuscript flow better.
I don't enjoy making the same comments, notations, etc., on each subsequent draft as it is a tad bit burdensome. I think that sometimes the writer may have made some changes, but forgot to hit the save key, or perhaps overlooked the aforementioned changes.
I want to see my writers improve and not backslide. It's important for a fledgling writer to improve on his/her skills so that the editor, (me) will continue to work on full length manuscripts with this person. Otherwise, I may say, I am too busy for this work.........
I like to see improvements and when it doesn't happen, it's rather annoying. It kind of reminds me of the times I've taught English Composition to college students where the student would ignore a specific change thinking that I had so many students that I would overlook the glaring error.
For me it's kind of tough to do that since I have a photographic memory for most things, and can remember an error that someone made a couple years ago. It would amaze me that a young adult would believe I wouldn't notice it. At any rate, students learned pretty quick that I wouldn't let those errors slide, and they had to be corrected to make the paper better.
Editing is a tough job...................

"Writing to Relax"

It seems that most of the writing I do is structured and has a specific purpose. I'd like to free write some of the time and enjoy the process!
What would I write about? I'd let it flow as a draft and not make any plans other than to unwind with some spirited writing. I guess it's kind of like the book I wrote last month for National Novel Writing Month. I wrote, and wrote, and wrote some more. I didn't have any problem with my stream of consciousness writing as I produced a lot of verbiage. I look forward to doing that again, and it showed me that I can write a lot more than I ever thought possible in such a short period of time.
I received notification today via e-mail that my book has shipped. I look forward to holding a copy of my Musings shortly. I will then read through it and devise a plan for revisions and to see what I can do to turn it into a salable book. I know that I decided a year ago to set the goal of writing a novel in a month which I felt would be a difficult task. I was right, yet, truly inspired. I believe that some of the other opportunities presented through this writing marathon will be of benefit to me as well. I believe that there is another writing month to produce either a screenplay or script. I'll be looking into that as well!
I had fun composing poems inside of it too. I am revising a poem today that I plan on submitting today. I hope that I'll get it done as I have a tremendous amount of work to do. I think it'll be one of those twenty hour days........
You see I ended up booking another book signing this weekend at a brand new coffee shop in Canton. They've only been open two weeks and the owner suggested a Christmas book signing. As the cartoon character Charlie Brown would say......Good Grief! Actually I am looking forward to it. I hope that one or two of the newspapers will announce it in Thursday's edition. If you are in the area stop by and chat with me at the BEARCLAW Coffee shop on Saturday from 3pm-5pm and purchase a copy of my book, "Woman Reclining", or one of my poetry chapbooks or Haiku workbook for children.
See you then!
http://outskirtspress.com/womanreclining

Revising Poetry

It's always a chore to revise poetry as each and every word must count. Sometimes it's easier to make a couple of versions of the piece so that you have more than one choice to make when submitting a piece. It doesn't always mean that one version is better than the other, but, the chances are one actually is well written. I sometimes feel that changing one or two words really does have an impact on a piece. I've been reworking a couple of pieces that I wrote recently, and something as simple as changing a tense can make a world of a difference in clarity and readibility.
The editing continues and a final draft will emerge in the next day or two as that is all I have to meet this writing goal.....
The Muse continues to inspire me, how about you?

More Ideas

Each day that goes by presents me with more ideas to write about, or classes to design. Sometimes the idea crosses over into work, and book ideas.....It's amazing how one moment of thinking can be a springboard for the creative process.
I'll be tackling a new subject, which isn't exactly new, but, one that I haven't delved into recently. Sometimes a change of pace in my work is the best thing for me. At any rate the ideas are swirling, and the pen is writing...........
Until next time, keep on writing.............
http://outskirtspress.com/womanreclining

A Cold Blustery Winter Day

I feel the deep winter chill has struck too early.........As a judge of an outdoor contest I was none to pleased with the bone chilling weather......I can only imagine how tough it was for the high-school artists to render such wonderful art.
The cold appeared to keep a lot of the prospective artists away, and of course, it gave those who designed their window art a bit of an edge on winning a prize. Frankly, I believe all of them deserved a medal and an award.....I'll probably photograph it for my collection of pieces created in Canton. It was a mad dash for the students to paint their window pane in three hours. I believe that's a monumental task for anyone..At any rate the two other judges and I concurred on the winners which surprised one of the judges (not me), and one of the organizers of the event. It's easy to spot the flawless piece that's carefully excuted with the appropriate theme, creativity element, and of course technical ability.
I salute those high school artists for their ability to stay on course with the wind whipping the santa hats around........
I'm still cold by the way..........
Tomorrow I have a book signing and I prepared another portfolio book of photos and articles for visitors to look through. Perhaps they'll see a photo that they'd like to purchase along with a copy of my book.
To order your copy, please go to: http://outskirtspress.com/womanreclining

December Musings

It's already December and the New Year is quickly approaching.....Where has this year gone?
I know that it's been a productive one for me, and I look forward to more opportunities in the upcoming year. Right now it's a mad dash to complete some projects, including the book manuscript I am working on. If I can get it done by December 31st, I can begin work on my other book........
I've got some good ideas for my chapbooks/workbooks for my upcoming courses in Canton. I'd like for them to be a fun way to write while out of the classroom. I hope that some students will sign up shortly.
At any rate I have a lot of writing to do, as well as prepare for some other art exhbits. I start that early in January too.
I plan on receiving a copy of my book that I wrote for National Novel Writing Month as well. It'll be neat to hold a copy of that it my hands.....Then, I'll have to rewrite the book or books in my spare time.
I highly recommend that if you are a writer or dream of becoming one to find out about this great process as you'll accomplish more than you ever dreamed of when you embark on the hysterical novel writing month in November. They are also going to expand into other writing genres which I think is helpful.
Winning this contest has truly inspired me and gave me the extra jump start I needed to embark on my writing journey for the next few years.....
Keep on writing and reach for the golden star........