lori carson life and music the words and music of recording artist lori carson
Maybe
Well, it’s happened. My book will be published in the summer of 2013, which seems a very long time from now. But until then, I can dream about how it will change my life. Maybe I’ll meet a really sexy, smart man on a book tour and we’ll get married and move to Costa Rica [...]
Leaning Towards Disaster
It’s difficult to relax. It takes a lot of work. Anything unresolved gnaws and nags. I understand wanting to turn away from the world completely, because waiting, and especially wanting, is so uncomfortable. I suspect these feelings of discomfort once motivated some caveman to kill his dinner. Hunger, that’s what it is. Last week, I [...]
Vessel
“I’m so hard to handle/I’m selfish and I’m sad.” — Joni Mitchell, from Wish I Had a River. I’ve always identified with Joni Mitchell, or rather with the person gleaned or imagined from the lyrics of Joni Mitchell. Before Joni Mitchell, I read into the songs of other artists, trying to figure out what was [...]
Nothing Left to Weather
“You have your wonderful memories,” people said later, as if memories were solace. — Joan Didion, from Blue Nights. Cold, gray Saturday, snow coming down in sloppy buckets. Rain and snow all mixed together. Wind too, and it’s still October. Found Doe’s winter coat in a basket of hats and gloves. She didn’t want to [...]
Fall is Here
It feels like I haven’t written in ages. I’ve been working on my book. If I described how it consumes me, it wouldn’t sound believable. On recommendation from my thoughtful and kind agent, I’m taking a week away from it. Will not even look at it. I’ve been immersed in it for so long that [...]
Mysterious Process
Worked for a solid month, three to eight hours a day, every day before I wrote the right sentence. I’m not exaggerating. I was starting to panic near the end. But then the door opened, and the story that made sense occurred to me (while walking Doe in the park). It came to me piece [...]
Imagining the Map
Went for a run yesterday for the first time in months. I’ve put on ten pounds, while writing my book. It was a challenge to lug that weight around the park drive. Almost as difficult as when I first started running, and could barely make it to the corner. My lungs hurt, my muscles cramped. [...]
Friday
Up at six again this morning. Opened my eyes, still in an anxiety dream I couldn’t quite remember, exhausted already. Paul and I are working on a couple of jobs for DW. Wednesday, got a panicked email from him. He’s under pressure, and transfers it to me, but working too fast is not best for [...]
Dogwalkers
Yesterday, it was eighty degrees. Summer had bypassed spring the way it does. In the park, I heard a woman singing from far away. Maybe she had a room-mate who didn’t like it. She was sitting on a green hill by the ball fields. When we walked by, I saw she was deep into it. [...]
Birch Trees and Other Worlds
My head is ricocheting thoughts, I have to write again. After walking in the park just now, on this beautiful day. Still cold, but not as cold, bright sun illuminating the trees, like Edward Hopper’s paintings, and I felt my annoyance again at seeing his paintings hang beside others at the Whitney, as if being [...]