Editing and re-writing Rooms

I'm spending a lot of time editing and re-writing sections of my novel, Rooms.  It's laborious at times and at others interesting and even exciting.  I know that I'm growing and changing as a writer because of the amount of time that I'm able to spend at it.

I'm working out the small inconsistencies that I've discovered, am doing a lot of just basic "fixing", and doing my best to make my words and phrases smooth and clear and interesting.  I really enjoy putting words together that create pictures and feelings.

I think I'll probably finish this re-write by January and then I'll read it once more and  see if I can get a publisher interested.

I'm enjoying the whole process more than I thought I would, but I'll be glad when I can say I'm done.

Poetry

I write poetry for many reasons.  I love words, the sound and feel of them as they roll off my tongue or through my mind.  I write to express emotions and to create pictures of places, moments, people, and experiences.  When I feel something deeply, the words can flow quickly, but of course, sometimes not.  I close my eyes, see the image and write.  I play with the words and phrases and let them dance until the dance is smooth and complete.

Two of my favorite poets are the Irish poet Seamus Heaney for the quality and earthiness of his work and Mary Oliver for the beautiful pictures that she paints.  Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost also move me deeply, along with many more.

I'm going to place four poems in this post.  Some are short, some longer.  The first two come from my love of Ireland.  The River Corrib is written on top of a picture that I took when I was in Galway. To read the poem, please click on the picture. The second comes from my experience in a small cafe in Kinsale - On the Corner.  The third is very short and comes from traveling - The Beautiful Maiden, and the fourth is entitled Of Desire.

The River Corrib

Click on the image below to see a larger view of the poem.

Copyright © Bob Stegner 2013

"On the Corner"

On the corner

In a glass encased rowdiness

Of spirit and light

Infused with sweet, round aromas

That fill the empty place

In me

I notice shards of leaves

Dangling and breathing moisture

In an atmosphere

That clouds the windows

Yet fills the room

Of clatter and craic

With a human warmth and comfort

On the corner

Mid-day arrives and slips by

With an accelerated time-lapse

Of the comings and goings

Of lives

Turned still-life

In a moment

Floating precariously

On the corner

It's now

At this table

Feeling part

Of the bread and tea

And meat and relish

Of the sugared delights

Of meringue and lemon and cream

Mixed with hours of labor

That called me here...

That I realize

In some small way

How this place

Has carried me home

For the season

Though I'm here

On the corner

In Kinsale

12/18/07

Kinsale, Ireland

In a small lunch cafe

Copyright © Bob Stegner 2013

Beautiful Maiden

Cast upon a world unknown and strange

I bounced on the rails of travel and adventure

Pushing myself, exploring, wondering, laughing

Intertwining my life each day with those

I meet along the way

06/22/13

Copyright © Bob Stegner 2013

Of Desire

It begins

On a sunny day

Within a speck of time

At a place of convergence

As two mortals cross paths

And ignite the genesis

The melodic harmony

The evolution

Of Desire

From moments

To seconds

To minutes

To hours...

Soft looks and laughs

Eager smiles and words

Merge and fuse

With touch or unintended caresses

That Linger

And intermingle

And sow the seeds

Of Desire

Hearts hoard memories

And fantasies form and flourish

From the warmth and humor and joy

That fuel and fan

The embers 

Of lust and inquisitive delight

With the chemical

The biological

The physical embrace

The fascination

Of Desire

But then...

It dawns

From all the bits and pieces of days

And hours

And minutes

And seconds

And moments...

It arises and shines

From a look, a sign, a stroke, a word

Catapulting and focusing

The conscious fire

Of Desire

Eyes blaze

Hearts flare

Passion heightens

Lips collide

Neurons fire

Bodies join and entwine

As the embers burn and flash

Crimson, yellow, green, blue, and indigo

In the inferno

Of Desire

That moment

Can singe

And fade

And simply drift away

And dissipate

Like a storm

To a breeze in the night

Or…

That moment

Can spread

And linger

And last

And thrive

In an amalgamation

Of all that was shared

Intensifying and nurturing

Desire's birth and existence

Forever

The magic,

The secret

Of the eternal flame

Of passion

The lasting power

Of Desire

Is rooted

And owned solely

Within the creators

The interwoven pair

Who alone possess

In that moment

The key...

As they look into each other's eyes

And sense in their hearts

The emerging coalescence

The undeniable rich tapestry

Of Time

And Friendship

Of Passion

And Desire

All sewn and meshed

Organically together

With the enduring strength

And the exquisite, warm beauty

Of Love

Bob Stegner

07/06/2009

Copyright © Bob Stegner 2009

Adult Science Fiction Novel: ROOMS

I'm working hard on my first longer novel.  The name for it will probably be Rooms, although that could change.  It's a science fiction novel.  I've worked on this book for several years, but, again, because I have more time right now, I've actually been able to finish the first draft and am working hard on the re-writes.  When those are completed, I'll then start working on trying to find a publisher for it.  Below, I've written a draft summary of the book.

Rooms' Summary

This book takes place about five-hundred years in the future.  Earth has been ruined by greed, power, wars and environmental degradation.  Some, but not all, of earth's people were able to escape the destruction and have settled on various moons, planets, and asteroids within the galaxy in structures known as lifeglobes.

Rooms have arisen on these lifeglobes, which are amazing holographic games, which many of the settlers play on their freedays and at night.  They play to forget.  They play to remember.  They play to bring meaning and some excitement to their lives.

It has been rumored that one particular Room on lifeglobe R-131 is incredible and many of the most elite players have immigrated there to have a chance to play it.  Very few will succeed, though, but those who do will experience more than they ever imagined.

Published Young Adult Fantasy Novelette: WHEATGRASS

My first post will be about the first work that I've published titled Wheatgrass.  It's for kids between grades 5-8 and for anyone that loves fantasy or anything Irish.

I actually began working on Wheatgrass several years ago.  I wrote it for a friend of mine.  I loved writing it because it has all the traditional characteristics of a fantasy, and it takes place in one of my favorite places in the world - Ireland!  It's about 11,000 words, which is the length of a novelette.  Here is the blurb at the beginning of the story:

"This story takes place in eastern, old Ireland and across the Irish Sea in Wales.  It is a fanciful tale about Eire and her incredible seabird, Wheatgrass.  It’s a story that has a castle, a village named Blackwater and a very dangerous wizard named Dalbhach and his raven, Rocas.  It has happiness and sadness, and fear, and hope and love, and the challenge of living life as you wish..."

If you're interested in reading it, just click on the picture of the book cover on the right side of my blog.  It's available in printed or Kindle version.  If you don't have a Kindle, you can go to the Kindle version and then click on the Free Kindle Reading App on that page, download the app to your computer, smartphone, or tablet, buy the Kindle version, and it will show up on your app on whatever device you have.