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| Thus Another Week Clangs to a Close
February 7, 2007
Crossing
Two years ago at Shively (The Cherokee Apartments); Cherokee Place & East 77th/78th Streets, NYC
First of all, thank you to everyone who has sent us their info for the Modern Letter Project. It is truly exciting that so many people are enthusiastic and willing. We're edging toward 100 participants and thus far we've received interest from all over the country and beyond, and aside from NYC, Portland, OR, Canada and Germany lead the pack. I think I am going to make a map of all of the participants as soon as I can figure out how to plot people on Google Maps without revealing actual addresses to the public.
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I have been in a bit of a funk lately...or perhaps less of depressed moment than a spate of aimlessness. The past year has been incredibly exciting for me academically. I have had the opportunity to delve into research that I'd always wanted to focus on. Now, as I look forward toward deepening and broadening that work, I can't help but wonder where to go with it.
When I complete my MA, I will most likely have two large projects underway or near complete. Then what? How do I share this information? I have been grappling with this question daily in regard to blogging-- how much, if anything, do I share in a forum like this, as opposed to some other medium? So far, the answer has been not much, which is frustrating because I come home each day with such wonderful pieces of history and analysis, integrate them into papers and short discussions with professors and friends, and then file them away. In a sense, it makes me feel strangely alone.
How does one go about writing a book? Is it actually possible, as someone who is not a writer or a true academic, to get one published? Is it worth it?
Posted by callalillie at February 7, 2007 2:19 AM | Fun Projects
, Inquiry
, Introspect
You could come up with an outline of what you want to convey in the book, then write a proposal and a couple of sample chapters, and shop it around with agents or university presses. Many (if not most) nonfiction books are acquired this way by publishers. This way, the advance subsidizes the author's research. Or you could apply for grants.
Good luck!
Posted by: Beth at February 7, 2007 9:55 AM
I agree with Beth. A lot of times when people are passionate about a topic, they write very eloquently and the public responds. I would love to read about older buildings and its significance to a neighborhood. I think that the work you've been doing is biographical in a sense because the history of a place is significant albeit a small school house or a skyscraper. There's a reason why we have a historical registry of places, because we value them.
I think that your work would be valued anthropologically, socially, and academically.
Posted by: Jenifer at February 7, 2007 10:04 AM
I think one of the key issues is that I cannot fathom actually writing a book. Well, I can imagine it but I cannot really wrap my head around how to make it happen. Maybe my thesis will help with that, though in this program the length cap is 80 pages-- not a lot of room.
Posted by: corie at February 7, 2007 10:12 AM
All of the above suggestions are good. I have a friend who self-published his book. I was very impressed with the results.
I have to say that photograph you feature today is really an interesting shot. You have the knack the of taking something people probably do not notice and make it interesting visually.
Posted by: catnip at February 7, 2007 10:45 AM
The trick is to make it engaging. The books the agency I worked for turned down were either too dryly academic or the writing just wasn't very strong. I'm happy to help you out if you ever want feedback. An outline and proposal are a great place to start.
Posted by: Liz at February 7, 2007 12:26 PM
You have one of the key ingredients involved in writing a book: you write well. Also, you seem to enjoy it. All you'd really need to do is organize your thoughts into the points that you feel are most important to convey to people, and then sit down and write. Books are written just like anything else--one step [paragraph, page] at a time. Your thesis will definitely help with the process, and then you can decide what areas you'd like to expound upon.
Posted by: Beth at February 7, 2007 7:33 PM
I don't know why you don't consider yourself a writer... or an academic for that matter. You ARE both. I mean, I'm sure some of the people here come to look at the pretty pictures, but most of us come to see what you've written today.
Personally, I find your work interesting, although I'm way too lazy to do the work (research) myself, I'd definitely be interested in reading about what you've found and your conclusions if any.
Maybe approach one of your published professors for tips on how to start the publishing process?
Posted by: Cynthia at February 9, 2007 1:01 PM
