The title of my manuscript has changed. I'll keep it to myself for now. I like it better as do those who have been helping me with the manuscript. I'm going to outline what I'm doing-- it's a rough sketch of table of contents as I am concerned about having section titles in Latin. Someone says the Latin is pretentious etc.. The thing is, if I do the section titles in English will they be seen as the Seven Sins and Seven Virtues or will they just seem like emotions: ie: Anger/Patience,
Greed/Diligence. Will not the Latin help lend that theory to readers in that when they inquire into the meaning of the Latin they will automatically understand the sections? The three reviewers at a press said nothing about changing section titles. But maybe I need to. Please tell me what you think. I know hardly anyone reads blogs anymore, but I really could use some help. Similarly several poem titles seem banal. What to do? Is anyone out there willing to email me on this? So there are seven sections, based on the pairings of the sins/virtues and one of the problems is the poems tend towards excess rather than restraint. In other words, I'm more of a sinner. Hehehe Would that lopsidedness bother you in the sections? Also, if I take the easy way out and just have the seven sins, is that pure laziness on my part. I have tried of late to write a poem on/about restraint and it has proven difficult. There is an underlying lesson to myself in all of this. Okay, here are the section titles and title of poems, minus the title which was Seven7 and is no longer Seven7 or 7 or Seven. ;) It's been unanimously favored over Seven7 by my wonderful friends and conscientious critics! I feel great about the new title. Okay, still a bit shaky on the manuscript, still uncertain as if I should add new poems ie: restraint. Please email me and let me know what your views are on the Latin.? Please. Or you can call me at 720-454-2863 and we can talk about your stuff/manuscript too. Pretty Please. EDUARDO. hint hint Okay, maybe I'll be calling YOU.
I. Ira/Patentia
La Chingada...
The Memory...
The Breaking...
Equus...
Bucephalus ...
A Contentious Woman...???!!!! or should it be Colorado Winter????
II. Luxuria/Casitas
The Photograph...
Kitchen of Grief... (is this too odd for you? It's been published but one critic is opposed to this title)
Brandy Down Our throats like fire (same criticism)
He wants a poem... (ugh. I see criticism coming this way?)
Three
III. Acedia/Dilegentia
Crazy Ted talks to the Virgen de Guadalupe
El Pescador... (should it be in Spanish if nothing in said poem is about culture? ie: it really is about fish/fishermen. Should it be in English?
Nada
Cabeza de Vaca's Horse
IV. Superbia/Humilitas
Elegy for Narcissus...
Writing the Next Poem...
Border...????
El Paso Women...????
Lubbock Texas...
V. Gula/Absentia
Gall Bladder...one critic has problems with title, previously published???
Chico's Tacos... oh yes, I have a poem about Chico's in this manuscript
Seven...
Elegy for a Warrior...
Feeding Season...
Forty...
VI.
Avaritia/Liberalitas (I'm getting tired of typing; how do people type out fiction?)
The Damselfly...
Stars Emerge from Every Conceivable Place....?
Not one red cent
The Loser
Hit and Run
Ouray's Eyes???
Mortar ... said critic dislikes title, previously published
The Wounded Healer
VII.
Invidia/Humanitas
Coming Home...
Born in the Southwest...
All that will ever matter...
Every Loser Surprises the world...
Arc of the Sun...
La Mano Negra....(fixed this? IS Spanish okay?)
The Path...
Small Defiant gods (does this sound too much like a cartoon?)
Recovery...
Witness
Thanks to anyone who is willing to give me their take on any of this....
1 comment:
I would not find the Latin pretentious--it would make me dig deeper to discover what's going on. But I'm an English major type reader who likes deciphering things.
Could you not use the Latin at the top of the page of the section break and English at the bottom, if you were really worried?
As a reader, I wouldn't be bothered if there weren't equal amounts of restraint and excess. If your excess poems are better, that's what would appeal.
I like the title "Kitchen of Grief" and the one that uses "Pescador." I could see delicious possibilities with the "Gall Bladder" title.
I apologize in advance if what I'm about to say sounds . . . however it may sound. Your blog post reminds me of how I was when I was revising my dissertation and trying to work in all the good suggestions of all the readers, some of which contradicted each other, even though everyone had given good suggestions. And some of the suggestions would have been nice to follow, but I simply wasn't capable of writing what they wanted. In the end, I took the best suggestions that worked most well together, and at some point, stopped overthinking every decision so much. It begins to feel like the future of humanity hangs in the balance (perhaps a neurosis unique to grad school), and eventually one must just call it done.
Good luck! I really enjoy the window into the revising process--thanks for being so open!
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