Monday, September 07, 2009

Hump


NOUN:

1. A rounded mass or protuberance, such as the fleshy structure on the back of a camel or of some cattle.

2. A deformity of the back in humans caused by an abnormal convex curvature of the upper spine.

3. Vulgar Slang The act or an instance of having sexual intercourse.

4. 1. A low mound of earth; a hummock. 2. A mountain range.

5. Chiefly British A fit of depression; an emotional slump.

VERB:
tr.
1. To bend or round into a hump; arch.

2. Slang 1. To exert (oneself). 2. To carry, especially on the back. 3. Vulgar Slang To engage in sexual intercourse with.

* * *

I just received the first batch of notes on Hump, which, when published, will be my first trade book of poetry. (More after the turn...)

I'm itchy with the desire to stay up all night with the notes and a fresh copy of the ms., but I've got an article on Edmonton's Thomas Trofimuk due tomorrow and so I must desist.

But tomorrow, first thing, I'm going to fire up the printer and make what should be the last copy of the ninth draft of Hump. And then I will print out the notes from Jeanette Lynes, my editor.

And then I will make a cup of tea. And maybe check my email, shakily.

But then I'll start editing the damn thing. With the hope of falling for it, with the hope of sharpening it, with the hope of not embarrassing myself, come launch time.

Yay! Fun! (?)

3 comments:

Ian LeTourneau said...

The final draft: fun times!

How's the editing going?

Ariel Gordon said...

Hey Ian. It's going slow but since I'm basically wrecking and rebuilding, that seems apt. Also, if it was going too fast, I'd probably twine myself into knots, thinking I wasn't working hard enough...

What was your editing process like?

Ian LeTourneau said...

went fairly quickly officially. but the manuscript had been rejected several times and I always kept dropping poems and revising (basically like you say wrecking and rebuilding) so unofficially I guess it took two years+.