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Writing from Within
It’s March 1st.
A joyful day for me as I rose to the sun shinning bright and was able to take another breath.
Yet, a reality check also.
Sometime last August I started to work on my book project. I wanted it to be something special and unique. I want to compose a collection of poetry and prose that highlighted my abilities, my experiences, and connected me with others.
I set out on a quest to find pieces that captivated emotions and events. In the process, I wanted to make sure I was writing and including fresh new material that had never been read or posted online.
From August to roughly October I spent time composing, categorizing, and organizing my work.
The number one person who support my endeavors and dually understood my writing soon became my confidant and editor. We started editing pieces in October… through a cycle of printing, correcting, mailing, emailing, and corresponding back and forth.
This process lasted until roughly January. Due to the demands on me being a fully time teacher, and now a full time graduate student… my book soon became the only task I did.
I started to organize my poems based on simple generic themes.
My friends saw me less. My students heard more about my book than anyone. My weekends turned into days in front of my computer. My Sundays became intimate moments with a pamphlet of poems, a purple pen, and post-it notes. I developed a system of finding mistakes, changing them, and checking off each page and poem.
And in the mist of it all… I had no title. No formal plan for the structure of my book.
Until one night, I awoke in the night… with simply the word Pronouns on the tip of my tongue. The simple themes I create became concrete chapters, all entitled with a different Pronoun. And yet it was so simple, while I had been questioning what title would increase interest, spark thought, or provoke a stranger to be a reader- it was in front of my face all along.
Pronouns.
And so by mid January this project was coming along. I was knee deep in my work so much I forgot how long ago it seemed I started. My focus had been so much on writing that I forgot about a cover. I reached out to a few people and finally found a person that could captivate the same emotions my pieces hold.
Honestly, when I started this I never imagined it would be this long and detailed of a process. I really don’t like to edit my poems, but I am finding that sometime you need to. And as I started to invest more and more time, I want things to be more and more perfect.
But, more and more I found small things that could be changed or fixed. I am not sure if this is the case since my eye is now heightened or the opposite, my eye has been lazy and missed everything it should have caught the first time.
Either way… I am on my third proof. It arrived yesterday. Hesitant on my book’s release, anxious to have it out there for others to embrace and soak up, yet cautious about releasing something that may have another error I missed.
I never thought a quotation mark, a “s”, or a misplaced period or comma would ever be so important, especially in poetry. For the longest, in my writing, I have tried to let my thoughts and emotions push my words, not form, structure, or correct punctuation and grammar. I feel like sometimes we get lost in all the rules and forget to let go.
I want Pronouns to be solid. I know Pronouns is a work of art that everyone can appreciate. I am proud of these months I spent collecting and creating, and these years of writing that fuel everything.
As I anticipated a February release, and look at the calendar to realize its March 1st. I smile, to only think patience and perfection are joined together. I can’t help but to be anxious, but I can make sure everything I do is a complete representation of myself even if it takes an extra proof, another week, a heightened eye, and a little more time.
To my readers, to those awaiting my book, to those who read my blog, to my friends, and my family. Thank you for allowing my voice to ring on your computer screens, to float on your cell phones, and to rock your twitter accounts.
Thank you for reading…
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While perfection involves patience…
I am making sure that I do not miss anything with my book. I recently just found a quotation error…. and although its something minor and small to some people, especially since most do not even know how to properly quote words or phrase….the book is a respresentation of myself, my time, my patience, and my perfection. And so I just sent out for the changes to be made… I am strongly pushing for February release…but if something else comes up, I refuse to fight perfection and time.
Bare with me…
In the meantime check out a little preview of the book… ——> PREVIEW
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Slowly my day is arriving.
I have been on this journey of discovery with my writing.
Fighting myself,
Not wanting or knowing how to accept myself,
That writing is something I must do.
Writing is something that does me.
Writing is me.
So I finally got over that huge mountain in my life.
Finally I can embrace this writing thing.
And..
I have been working on my book since last summer,
What a long road that has been.
And now I am met with art to express my book.
My cover.
Finding someone that could capture my vision, my passion, and still leave the reader in awe of such work enough to open my book…
Pronouns will release this month.
Thank you tremendously to Craig Flux Singleton.
Support this brother in his art!
Check him out.
my book cover on his site:
Follow him on twitter @Fluxwonda
and Visit his blog site for more of his work : http://cfluxsing.wordpress.com/
Here it is.
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