Tangible Proof

Today is a big day for me and also the latest book I am publishing. I received in the mail today what is known as a proof of my book. It is a copy of the book bound like it would be in mass production. From this copy I can check for any errors before it goes to print. To see the book for the first time put together is a proud sight. After writing, editing, and designing for 4 years, to finally hold it my hands and flip through the book feels great. There are many more steps to go before this book can have the chance at being a success in business terms. Today though, I have completed my goal on the creative end and it feels wonderful to hold it in my hands.

Name That Tone

One of my favorite challenges and joys as a writer is titling poems, sections, and books. I feel strongly that what you use as a title for a poem has a great impact on the lines below them. It sets a tone. Doing this effectively can really have an influence over what you read or remember about any piece of work, be it a poem, song, or painting. I enjoy coming up with a creative poem title or a play on words that I feel compliments the actual text of the poem. There is a fine line though between naming something in a creative way for purpose or titling something for shock value. The delicate balance of those two elements in the end hopefully produces an identity for the work of art. Sometimes the first title for a poem of mine sticks throughout the many stages of editing. It makes sense from the start and there is no reason to change it. There are times when I go through a handful of names. It is a process of evolution that I interpret by instinct and experience. In my younger days I was serious into journalism. One of my strengths was coming up with headlines. I think that is why I embrace the challenge of poetry; taking a big idea and explaining it in a limited amount words for maximum effectiveness. Sometimes this requires 20 verses, sometimes it takes 3. That doesn’t mean a short poem has less to say than a longer poem. I used to think that the longer the poem the more profound. Over time, I have realized that is untrue. It is the ultimate artistic show of quality over quantity. I have always appreciated and been fascinated the way people use and group words together. From short company slogans to songs and screenplays. Using words for a creative purpose is a like a puzzle with hundreds of thousands of pieces. A lot of parts look like they should work together, but it is only when you find that right fit does a beautiful and harmonious connection occur.

Tough Cuts

The 1st manuscript for "Today Then Tomorrow" started out with over 60 poems and rough ideas.  Along the way cuts were made. Some of those decisions were easy.  There were just some poems that were not ready to published with this book. Others will never be published. They were either poorly developed or not worth writing about.  As the process of editing started to take shape, the choices of what to include and exclude in the book got decidedly more difficult.  It takes a healthy ego to make a cut of your own work.  It takes more than that to make a cut when you are so far along in the process.  A few nights ago I made probably the last cut of the book.  It was a poem that is probably 3 years old.  I never thought it would not be in the final draft. When I was starting out in this part of the editing process, I thought it was real strong.   It was a real hard decision to make the cut, but in one sense it was easy.  The hard part was temporarily discarding something you have worked on and with for a long time.  They're just words, but they become a part of you.  The easy part was recognizing that although the poem was strong, it did not in it's current state fit properly in the flow of the entire book.  In previous books of mine there have been poems I regret including in the book.  I am trying to avoid that this time around.  Months and years from publication, including this poem in it's current form would have bothered me. It wouldn't keep me up at nights, but it would have been a reminder that although I have developed a good sense of what works and what doesn't, I am still prone to let things slide that do not belong.  This poem will be published one day. I am sure of it. A few years back I wrote a poem that supposed to be included in my 2nd book "Independent"  That poem did not make the cut.  It needed a complete overhaul.   This poem had hours poured into it.  I believed in the idea and thought it was worth the effort.  The point of the anecdote is that after putting a tremendous effort to shaping this work, it became the opening poem to the coming book.  It is not my best work, although I am quite proud of it, but it will always be a symbol of what is possible when I dig in and work out an idea that has potential.  It is hard to make cuts.  Artistic triumph is not easy. It takes work, luck, and the ability to recognize and criticize quality in the creator's eye.

Finishing Lines

It is a strange and complicated thing to finish and publish a book.  You work for years in all different phases to get to a point.  The point is one where you can finally see the end.  You know that it is not anything resembling an ultimate destination.  It is simply a moment where one thing ends and the next dozen journeys begin.  It is exciting to come close to arriving at this place.  Those hours spent working, re-working, and struggling are about to give way to new challenges...The design needs to be finalized. How is the layout going to look? How is it going to play to a reader? Will people read it?  When I look back in a few years will it still be something I am going to proud of? These are questions that sometimes get answered decisively, and sometimes will never get answered at all.  You do your best with all you know and hope that experience, judgment, and ambition carries you along the finish line.  Even if a new race starts ten minutes later.