Tuesday, May 31, 2005

I received ten pages of notes on my manuscript this morning from Carolyn. Ten pages.

I have watched a master painter before at college. I watched him from across the room, the way all the light changed when he played with certain colors. Some people can look at a line to a poem and just see a line while others can look and see amazing connections almost as if that one line becomes a being you can walk around.

Forche is trying to teach me to see that. To make every word sing and deserve its place. But today I feel a little like a mule being taught ballet. I have hairy legs and I don’t fit into those pretty shoes. (It should be noted here I don’t really have hairy legs.)But I am a girl who gets a little overwhelmed by fives pages on syntax.

I need sleep. I need time. I need a nanny. Thursday I am heading out of town for a long weekend in the woods with about thirty, four and fifth graders. Why you ask, well because I am the damn mom. Now the manuscript has graduated from being in my car to sleeping with me in the tent. Someday I will look back on all this and smile. Today is not that day.

7 comments:

Radish King said...

I'll be your nanny. Your's I mean, not your kids. I have enough kids, my own and the rentals.

Peter said...

Carolyn Forche? OMG: she is like my GODDESS of poetry. I just LOVE her stuff. Esp the 24 page abecedarian in Blue Hour. Freaking amazing stuff. I'd tell you to introduce me; but she might think I was a stalker.

Suzanne said...

I'll read the five pages on syntax for you!

early hours of sky said...

Well here I leave the room and I have a nanny and a syntax reader. Wow and I was feeling bad about not even getting laundry done.

Peter for some I thought you knew she was my mentor. I have been working with her for over a year, maybe more. You’d think I have the cure for cancer or at least a kiss ass manuscript by now. Anyway, yes I will introduce you as long as you promise not to drool;) She is wonderful btw. An amazing being and poet.

early hours of sky said...

hey jack, I miss sharing a cab with you. How are you my friend? Hope things are well.

Charles said...

Um, I'm with Peter. Carolyn Forche is one of my biggest poetry heroes. It's so wonderful that she's so generous in her commitment to helping you develop the ms. I just ordered Gathering the Tribes, Blue Hour, and Against Forgetting from Amazon the other day because she's coming to our writers conference in February and I'm really hoping for an interview opportunity...or at least a chit chat of some sort.

early hours of sky said...

Charlie, what writers conference and where? Oh and Emily also studied with her.