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This last week has been phone week…and I always think I have all the answers…
Like normal, I start with a basic idea, and then events, music, whatever manifest into something that changes the focus of the post. Today was almost a 2 post day, but then I took a moment to look, and notice that it is quicKey Yemaya Walker approaching the 1 year mark of starting this blog, which’s primary objective is to aid in the eventual publishing of my currently titled manuscript Blue Lines.
During what is almost one year, maybe I’ll save that as the anniversary post…focused on current thoughts, in speaking to my dearest friend last night (thank goodness for no long distance charges on cell phones) I forgot to iterate my thoughts on a possible serialization of Blue Lines. Possibly splitting and expanding the novel into four books that play upon the four seasons on my characters’ relationship development. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
In thought it seems to be an interesting concept, works toward the longevity of the product, also fosters creating a base to follow the Key Yemaya Walker and Blue Hurt’s journey, for lack of a better term. It also allows me to work on my craft and expand upon portions that I felt were not complete, but is that a realistic concept without the raw catharsis and content that allowed me to write the manuscript in the first place? Over 12 years removed from initially beginning the work, and roughly 9-10 years since I initially completed it. 7 years since I thought I had wasted my time, because the fruit of my efforts seemed juvenile to me, and then another 4 since I had re-opened it, and felt differently looking at it through new eyes, 3 years after I had closed it.
Also inspired by my post last week, I thought about a possible name change. I love the title Blue Lines, but one of the struggles that I always had with the title was what does it mean, how can I effectively say that in the book. Can I relate it to Blue writing on paper? Is it a fictional “place” that I add to give some depth or meaning to the title? Again, I think it looks beautiful with my original artwork, but something has to tie it back to the work. Give it power with the work, even possibly become part of popular lexicon, but I still am at an impasse with that. It’s been Blue Lines since I opened the first book, and put my thoughts on paper. The original 21 page creative writing project was Blue Lines, but the lack of meaning always ate away at me.
Possible name changes, again as I alluded, last week’s post:
When We Were Babies (test cover below), I just loved that since I first came up with the idea for the post last week. The characters are young college students, mature enough to be beyond High School, but young enough to still not know about the world. They capture a certain naïve childishness. Everything is so new, and real, and raw in their eyes. They have the opportunity to grow and feel these emotions together, yet. They are not set in their ways. I readjust the cover from Key Yemaya Walker’s silhouette to a silhouette of a young couple walking and holding hands. I keep the same stark white background. They layers of poetry act as the forest or trees giving way to the scene at Coker Arboretum at UNC Chapel Hill, I just have to figure out the title placement. It’s exciting in every way, with the exception of changing the Blue Lines name. However, if I split it into 4 books, the name can return (e.g. WWWB Book 4: Blue Lines).
My Love, inspired by the song that inspired my earlier post today. Sia’s composition is an ill and emotive song that almost feels it was made for the currently titled Blue Lines. As I’ve always mentioned in my posts, music played a tremendous role in creating and bolstering songs and scenes. A close friend during that time I was writing, remembered how I would stop everything when Dru Hill’s “Beauty” would come on and start writing something, whatever my mind allowed. Another will tell you how about when we drove cross country, and headed toward California from Seattle, I heard Bjork’s “Joga,” and had to grab paper, but he probably hated that song after that moment. Yes there are probably reasons this is the worst ever title…yeah a lot of unrelated reasons, but hot is hot. And that song is it. Just looking simply at the lyrics, it fits so much of the study of people that I try to show through the manuscript:
My love, leave yourself behind
Beat inside me, leave you blind

“My love, you have found peace
You were searching for release
You gave it all, into the call
You took a chance and
You took a fall for us
You came thoughtfully, loved me faithfully
You taught me honor, you did it for me”

Since it is as of yet unpublished, I cannot expound on how these lyrics just capture Blue Lines Key Yemaya Walker and Blue Hurt. Okay, downside to this title, it looks ugly on the current version of the cover art. Do I take the WWWB concept, and add the My Love title if I make/made this change.
Just some thoughts, but right now…it is still Blue Lines and it needs some work to eventually get published.
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The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.