Copyright Obtained

After rewriting these books nearly a dozen times...I finally got the copyright taken care of today...after 2.5 hours on the US copyright website (it was running SOOO slow) I'm happy to say "Poetic Prescriptions for Plaguing Problems" and "Poetic Prescriptions for Your Pocket" are not complete, protected and ready to be published.

Final Revamp Complete fo "Poetic Prescriptions for Plaguing Problems"

More feedback on the the 1st book, revamped one last time to make some of the endings stronger among other things. Had my book editor look through it one last time. I'd say there has been about 8 revamps (at least) finally felt comfortable to pass it on to my manager so she can start passing it around with the contacts she's already made on my behalf. It's hard to believe it took an additional two years to get it to this point, in addition to the initial three to get it written. Talk about a labor of love...I hope it helps millions of people.

1st Person Poems

Ah, just when I thought my books were ready to start pitching. A writer friend pointed out how much better my poems could be if I took the time to make more of them in first person persepctive (especially when I'm teaching a lesson) than as they are when I say "you should do this..." It would be received better if I say "I should do this..." I've made the change in 3 or 4 of them in the Plaguing book. I noticed it doesn't work with all of them, but I can see some improvement for the ones that did work. As they say "Writing is Rewriting".

T.O.C. for "Poetic Prescriptions for Your Pocket"

I just finished the rewrite on "Poetic Prescriptions for Your Pocket" a small 23 page booklet (probably double the pages once formatted) in which each poem addresses and solves some kind of problem that one may be going through. I've sent it off to my manager to start pitching it to her literary connections. Here is the Table of Contents so you can see what's coming.

I’m Sick

What Pulled Out My Plug
My Frozen Heart Felt
Refreshed And Rested
Restore Me
Even ‘This’
Severed On The Racks
Power Is Plenty
Hurt Is Where Deceit Lurks
Shattered And Restored
Heavy Load Hurts


The Diagnosis

What I Do
Where’d It Went?
Become Your Future
Chiding Sessions
This I Know
The Answers To Your Questions
Hair-Brain Plans
Jumping Rope Or Noose
Trade Up
Poppin’ Jesus
Not Very Smart
House Calls Are Made


Your Remedy

Use As Directed
Fist-Sized Cloud
“You’re Through”
Burdens Too Cruel
My Wandering Mind
Serve It
I Can Hear
He’s Loaded His Hooks
On Your Knees – A Panacea
Cold Shadows Are Defeated
God of the Impossible

I have rewritten my book "The N.I.C.U. Roller Coaster: Poems and Prayers for the Parents of Preemies" about half a dozen times...but it still felt like something was missing and I couldn't put my finger on it, until today. My husband and I were interviewed for the documentary "Reel Growth" www.ReelGrowth.com about our experiences in the N.I.C.U. and when my husband told his side of the story, what was going through his head, and how wonderfully he expressed himself and his thoughts... I knew the reason for the stalling was I was missing the male perspective. When I told him how that would really help, he agreed to put an extra 5 excerpts into the book telling his side of the story (that would be one for each chapter).

This is a picture of my friend Tim. As you may know I have been working on revamping the 12 books in the "Poetic Prescription" series for the last couple of years... some of the revamping has to do with feedback that I've gotten back based on submissions to publishers, some of which when over my head at the time because I was so emotional about the rejection. But just as I was ready to send my manager the 5th or 6th rewrite on the first book "Poetic Prescriptions for Plaguing Problems" my friend Tim, who is a fabulous writer and has studied Shakespeare in depth, showed me a way to make my "good" poems "great". In brief, he was telling me that different languages usually use different amounts of syllables when they spoke that would come naturally... so though in my 5th or 6th redo, I had all syllables match e.g., 16 syllables per line for each line throughout for consistency, I found 10 is usually the max number one would want for the English language. Putting this into practice was difficult at first, but I ended up finding it would work better because the first publisher of my book "Poetic Prescriptions for Pesky Problems" ending up having to cut my lines off in weird places because I made each line far too long and it wouldn't fit on a normal book page. It has taken many months to transform what I've written once again with that in mind, as well as trying to stick with more masculine endings...which I don't always because it doesn't always work for what I'm trying to express. But I think the most important thing here is that we are in a constant state of learning and growing, and that is important. I may have always had a good message...but now let's add some style to it, and make it better. He sees a vast improvement in my writing using these and has now posed the question of "meter" to me, which right now is a very large elephant in my living room that I am trying to ignore.

To Write is to Re-Write

So I have revamped my frist book, and the series to follow, lots of feedback from publishers have stated that the book is a bit too long, and smaller poetry books are better, for a quick fix or for pondering. I am working in the 12 for the Poetic Prescriptions series - with the perfect number of 33 per book. Since I tend to write longer form, the poems will easily cover 2 to 3 pages each which will probably make the book closer to 80 or 90 pages depending on formatting.

And just when I thought I was done with the first three. My friend gave me an idea on how to make my "good" poetry "great". So I am on my 7th rewrite of the first three books now. It would have been easy to make excuses, but like my dad always said "Good, better, best - I'll never let it rest; until the good gets better, and the better gets best!"

Stay tuned!

TEARS OF RAIN

Tears of Rain

Water drips into a receptacle from yesterday's rain;

The pool ripples, sun reflects, it dances on the window pane.

And as I try to speak to God it draws my attention away;

As if it too has its own message, something it wants to say.

It is telling me there is hope as it sashays cheerfully;

Although ominous clouds produce rain that comes down tearfully;

It is for a purpose, water brings life to all the living;

Multi-colored roses thrive in the water I was giving.

I not only did the Lord's work, I watered my dreams with tears;

But only for a short season was I mourning with my peers.

I know there is a time to move on, and put the ash aside;

To anoint my head with oil, under sackcloth no longer hide.

One can't be a 'pillar of strength' to help others through their pain;

If they don't' leave that place covered in dark clouds and tears of rain.