Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Publication
I've been going over my full-length manuscript, and I actually think it's close to a state where I can send it out. There are four poems that need to be replaced: three are older poems that don't really fit in with the more current writing style (they're pretty rudimentary), and one is a newer poem whose premise I like but which isn't working out in an overall sense. I'm also in-progress on two poems that can fill holes created by removing those four, which means I'll have 48 pages exactly and will probably be 4-8 good poems short of wanting it to go out. In practical terms, I wish I had a more high-profile journal publication to go with it, but I can't complain much about the places I've gotten into so far.
I've been thinking about this poetry publication business because of the manuscript polishing and because of the discussion I had with Eduardo (see his blog) on the Laureate Prize. I feel like 90% of publication is either CV filler, self-gratification, or both. I'd say that about publishing in general, but poetry exacerbates the situation because of the lack of readership or much serious regard in the mainstream. This isn't to be confused with the writing of poetry, which is just as likely to be a real passion as it is to be CV-filling masturbation--not that it can't be both at once sometimes.
I don't intend for this to sound denigrating toward publication in general--I like many of the processes, and I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to be published in Journal X or by Press Y because it makes you happy to be alive or feeds your ego or helps you secure tenure. Writing to change the world may be a noble ambition, but it's a lot less likely to happen, especially in poetry, and it can also be self-delusion or arrogance.
Most people who make money writing (or who publish poetry) do so because (A) they're really good at it and/or (B) they're really willing to work hard at it. For me, (A) and sometimes (B) are true of my resume writing, and at least (B) is true of my poetry. If someone has (A) and (B) but doesn't directly get the money for their writing, let them put it on their resume to maybe get a promotion out of it, or at least let them enjoy it as much as they would a good masturbation session. Let the writing be the art, but don't dismiss the CV or the business model or the network marketing or whatever other metaphor can apply to putting one's own work on display in a journal or book.
Hmm, I don't think that was especially coherent, but that's what happens when you write late after playing poker for a couple hours. I may have to come back and refine or clarify, but this can stand for now.
I've been thinking about this poetry publication business because of the manuscript polishing and because of the discussion I had with Eduardo (see his blog) on the Laureate Prize. I feel like 90% of publication is either CV filler, self-gratification, or both. I'd say that about publishing in general, but poetry exacerbates the situation because of the lack of readership or much serious regard in the mainstream. This isn't to be confused with the writing of poetry, which is just as likely to be a real passion as it is to be CV-filling masturbation--not that it can't be both at once sometimes.
I don't intend for this to sound denigrating toward publication in general--I like many of the processes, and I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to be published in Journal X or by Press Y because it makes you happy to be alive or feeds your ego or helps you secure tenure. Writing to change the world may be a noble ambition, but it's a lot less likely to happen, especially in poetry, and it can also be self-delusion or arrogance.
Most people who make money writing (or who publish poetry) do so because (A) they're really good at it and/or (B) they're really willing to work hard at it. For me, (A) and sometimes (B) are true of my resume writing, and at least (B) is true of my poetry. If someone has (A) and (B) but doesn't directly get the money for their writing, let them put it on their resume to maybe get a promotion out of it, or at least let them enjoy it as much as they would a good masturbation session. Let the writing be the art, but don't dismiss the CV or the business model or the network marketing or whatever other metaphor can apply to putting one's own work on display in a journal or book.
Hmm, I don't think that was especially coherent, but that's what happens when you write late after playing poker for a couple hours. I may have to come back and refine or clarify, but this can stand for now.
