Writer's Block Book: Organizing
Researching a proposed book is currently both easier and more complex, thanks to the Internet.
The last time I organized large-scale research was for my master's thesis published in 1993. Using the Internet for finding information was still pretty rudimentary. I could search indexes of journals for articles on subjects, then check the UCSD and SDSU library catalogs for book and periodical holdings, and finally visit the stacks and photocopy pertinent material. Holdings I wanted to read that were not local were ordered through an inter-library loan system. I ended up with a standard-size small moving box (book box) crammed with 11 X 17 sheets of photocopies in file folders.
Some people can manage to contain all their research electronically, but I still like to spread out pieces of paper to refresh memory and find connections. I do have documents in computer files, and a directory devoted to the book, and I have already begun using online resources like Google Scholar.
Still, stacks of paper are piling up. They're photocopies of the indexes and end notes and bibliographies of the basic academic books I've reviewed so far. This material will perhaps be scanned into my computer to compile lists of books, articles, and journal to gather further academic research--a job I may farm out to a university student.
I've yet to even touch the sea of popular resources on Writer's Block, usually in the self-help arena. A glance at Amazon listings is overwhelming. And thank goodness for used book availability! The work plan is roughly to research enough to firm up an outline, write a proposal, find and query agents. If I were younger and had more energy, I might query/submit directly to publishers (not top tier ones, because they don't accept unsolicited material).
One of the documents in the BLOCK book directory is a rudimentary outline that I am using to guide the organization of this research material. I'm still vacillating between incorporating the "what to do" with "causes" or putting all the advice in a separate section of the book. Another notion is to develop a self-diagnosis instrument. It could take the form of a series of questions or a flow chart that would lead to potential solutions.
What do you think? If you were searching for understanding and help with Writer's Block, would you want to read about reasons with suggested solutions or look for the help in a different part of a book? Would you like some sort of chart to help decide the cause of your block, or prefer just to read about all the sources of the problem for a general understanding?
Previous articles in this series:
Writer's Block Book: The Commitment (June)
Writer's Block Book: The Saga Begins (September)
The last time I organized large-scale research was for my master's thesis published in 1993. Using the Internet for finding information was still pretty rudimentary. I could search indexes of journals for articles on subjects, then check the UCSD and SDSU library catalogs for book and periodical holdings, and finally visit the stacks and photocopy pertinent material. Holdings I wanted to read that were not local were ordered through an inter-library loan system. I ended up with a standard-size small moving box (book box) crammed with 11 X 17 sheets of photocopies in file folders.
Some people can manage to contain all their research electronically, but I still like to spread out pieces of paper to refresh memory and find connections. I do have documents in computer files, and a directory devoted to the book, and I have already begun using online resources like Google Scholar.
Still, stacks of paper are piling up. They're photocopies of the indexes and end notes and bibliographies of the basic academic books I've reviewed so far. This material will perhaps be scanned into my computer to compile lists of books, articles, and journal to gather further academic research--a job I may farm out to a university student.
I've yet to even touch the sea of popular resources on Writer's Block, usually in the self-help arena. A glance at Amazon listings is overwhelming. And thank goodness for used book availability! The work plan is roughly to research enough to firm up an outline, write a proposal, find and query agents. If I were younger and had more energy, I might query/submit directly to publishers (not top tier ones, because they don't accept unsolicited material).
One of the documents in the BLOCK book directory is a rudimentary outline that I am using to guide the organization of this research material. I'm still vacillating between incorporating the "what to do" with "causes" or putting all the advice in a separate section of the book. Another notion is to develop a self-diagnosis instrument. It could take the form of a series of questions or a flow chart that would lead to potential solutions.
What do you think? If you were searching for understanding and help with Writer's Block, would you want to read about reasons with suggested solutions or look for the help in a different part of a book? Would you like some sort of chart to help decide the cause of your block, or prefer just to read about all the sources of the problem for a general understanding?
Previous articles in this series:
Writer's Block Book: The Commitment (June)
Writer's Block Book: The Saga Begins (September)
Labels: reading, research, writer's block
posted by Georganna Hancock M.S. | 8:31 AM
1 Comments:
I'm in favor of possible reasons, and some helpful suggestions, without charts.
But that's just my point of view.
Post a Comment
<< Home