Land Of Dying Dreams

Usually when publishing a book of poetry, it is a process of seemingly endless changes. But this time around it was much different. There will be no changes. There will be no rewrites. The file of poems sent to the publisher will be formatted and then put to print exactly how they were originally written. And it is a refreshing change from the normal, most frustrating and time consuming process.

Firstly, I dealt with the cover art long before any file was submitted. Usually, that is the last issue I deal with. Choosing the right picture for the cover is a very personal choice and only the writer can have a special insight into which one of the many pictures/drawings/sketches considered says what he/she wants the reader to know about what is in between the covers. The creative department of any publishing company can be instrumental in their suggestions as to how to enhance the cover art and for this latest book, they nailed it perfectly the first time and I am so very pleased with the end result. I suspect that by the end of the week I will have approved everything for the final stage of printing that first and most cherished first copy. When I receive that first copy I always go to the copyright page to read my name. That has always been, still is, and I suspect will always be my favourite part of every book.

The book is titled, Land Of Dying Dreams and as the title suggests, it is about death. It is about the act of dying and also about feeling dead while still seeing your breathe. Obviously one will find no happy thoughts or inspirational words of hope in this book. And that is exactly what I was intending when writing it. Also, there are no profound words/phrases in this book that would be considered a literary work of art. It is a very simple book to describe some very simple emotions. Whereas with most of the poems I write there is a rewriting process, there was none this time. However I first wrote it, it remains unchanged. Yes, there are many poems in this book that I could have changed to make myself seem more intellectual and profound but I chose not too. I wanted this book to be filled with the raw emotions that came to me when writing. Of course many of my peers will congratulate me on the new book but most will not think it to be anything special because of it's simplicity. And that is understandable since most writers I know are well beyond me in their writing abilities and creative thought. But it is that simplicity that I was aiming for. This book is about pain. And who knows better about that kind of pain than those who are currently enduring such. And it is my belief that they will not care whether these writings that describe their pain are well written or not. If they read it and relate to it than I have accomplished what I was hoping for. Those are the people who are my target audience for this book. This simple writing style and a limited target audience is not an equation that leads to book sales and income but then again, that is never what I am hoping for. I am doing something I love to do and hope one day to do it well.

I have done this before with a previous book project and was thrilled with the end result. I like the idea of writing it as I see/feel it and then never being concerned with the choices of words. Pain is pain and sometimes just using that simple word is all that is required for many to be able to relate. There are a few different writing styles in the book but it was never intentional. I just wrote it as I felt it. And I am hoping that some will just feel it as they read it. Perhaps this book exposes too much of myself. But then again, what is the point of creative writing if we never give any insight into where the ideas come from? Although this book will never be considered by others to be of my best written work, the process of stripping myself bare of protecting shields will make this one of my most personal and meaningful books. And that pleases me. I did not write to impress my peers and receive their praise and respect. I wrote about certain people who's suffering is so intense that they cannot endure living. And if any of those people ever read this book, it would be a failure on my part to have them not understanding my own expose describing their pain. It is about them and for them. And they are the ones who's understanding, acknowledgement and validation will have me proud of the effort I put in to the book.

And as always, there is the same phrase in this book that appears in every one of my books. Nobody Wins Unless Everybody Wins.