I’m in the thick of the manuscript connected to this notebook. Thought it might be fun to share again!
I wrote this a few days ago in an attempt to express a piece of my writing process — the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing historical fiction. You guys. In four years of blogging I can honestly say this is the most fun I’ve ever had in writing a blog post. Writing this poem has reminded me I need to give myself more permission to play. There is something incredibly satisfying in starting and finishing a project in one day and in experimenting with a format I’ve never used before.
Here’s to your own creative processes and the opportunity to find joy there!
I
Oh, notebook mine,
the place I gather records, thoughts
before I know the way a story winds,
unsure whether or not
I’ll need what I’ve written down,
or if the scribbling of a word will be mere passing fact,
a jot to teach, inform me of the world I’m learning,
a collection of phrases to ground
me in the things I sorely lack,
to multiply my yearning.
II
You are a place of lists,
dates, maps, quotes, sometimes a sketch,
this novelist’s definition of bliss,
my source when I long to catch
a whiff of history, a summer berry’s hue,
a sense of place, the voice of one long dead,
the temperature when kerosene solidifies —
truths I can bend and shift, make new,
and like a ball of dough transform to bread
with heat and time. You stoke the fire in my mind’s eye.
III
You are a testament to months of labor,
a tribute to half-formed thoughts and starts,
a vestibule which leads to something greater,
the fresh firsts of a future art,
a net that gathers every object nearer,
sifts and filters, groups and sorts,
until like seeds that push to germination,
truth and story blend, grow clearer:
dear notebook, you help me bring forth
a story to its liberation.
Kimberly says
October 31, 2013 at 2:16 pmI love every single bit of this…the poem, the handwritten notes, the drawings. Everything!
Caroline Starr Rose says
October 31, 2013 at 3:02 pmThank you! It was a fun way for me to process this early stage of my writing process. And it was so quick! That alone was very satisfying.
Valerie Geary says
October 31, 2013 at 3:30 pmI love it even more with the pictures! 😀 This is inspiring….
Caroline Starr Rose says
October 31, 2013 at 3:33 pmThank you! It was so fun to write it and get feedback the same day from my in-town critique group. How often does it happen that you get to finish and polish something wholly in just a few hours? Truly, I’ll be doing more of this.
Valerie Geary says
October 31, 2013 at 3:33 pmThis comment has been removed by the author.
Kenda Turner says
November 1, 2013 at 12:31 amWas truly inspired by both the poem and the journal! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Caroline Starr Rose says
November 1, 2013 at 1:00 amKenda, thank you! And now for the writing. Gulp.
Margaret Simon says
November 1, 2013 at 10:43 amTaking a break from the long hours of research to write this wonderful poem about the process satisfies the soul. You should consider linking up to Poetry Friday today at Teacher Dance. I post every Friday and learn so much from the whole kidlitosphere. http://www.teacherdance.org/
Caroline Starr Rose says
November 1, 2013 at 12:50 pmThanks for the tip! I just linked up.
Ruth says
November 1, 2013 at 9:17 pmGorgeous post!
Bridget Magee says
November 1, 2013 at 11:08 pmLovely! I enjoy the snippets of your journal interspersed with your verse. =)
LInda Baie says
November 1, 2013 at 11:26 pmHappy that you linked, Caroline-This is lovely, a peek into the process is always beautiful to see, words and pics! I’m glad you enjoyed doing it, am sure others will enjoy seeing it! I love “like a ball of dough transform to bread
with heat and time.” Thank you!
Caroline Starr Rose says
November 2, 2013 at 2:57 pmThank you, Linda. I’m partial to that, too. 🙂
Mary Hill says
November 2, 2013 at 12:18 amI love your notebook. Looks so much better than mine. I loved the poem too. So inspirational. Now I have a desire to take pictures of mine and write a poem.
Mary Lee says
November 2, 2013 at 11:11 amWow! I can’t wait to show this to my students! You take Writer’s Notebook to a whole new level! Thanks for sharing.
Jill the OWL says
November 2, 2013 at 2:36 pmI need to share with with my students!! They will be in awe 🙂
Caroline Starr Rose says
November 2, 2013 at 2:59 pmIf teachers are looking for a fun example for students, Robin LaFevers is the author who creates an amazing notebook. Look hers up!
Augusta Scattergood says
September 15, 2014 at 8:18 amFun seeing this again. Looks much more creative than my Scrivener “notebook”!
Robyn says
September 15, 2014 at 9:13 amHow neat to see what all goes on behind the scenes! Miss you.
Amy Rogers Hays says
September 15, 2014 at 12:19 pmlove this!
Elizabeth Varadan says
September 17, 2014 at 1:03 amReally good poem! And it captures the whole process. This was a nice start to my day.