I remember times, writing in the middle of the night, when I needed information that was available only in a library or a bookstore. I remember when I could call telephone operators (and get REAL PEOPLE!) in another state and ask them questions about where they lived and they would answer me and be glad I gave them a break from their 3 a.m. boredom.
But even now with the Internet, research can be a painful process. While everything you could ever want to know and all its inaccurate versions may be available, finding it is challenging. First you plow through the million things that have nothing to do with what you want. Then you begin to weed out the unreliable information. And there’s a delicate balance between giving a search engine too many parameters and not enough. Then…you are constantly diverted to other places where you never intended to go.
Shannon asked why I was up so early in the morning. Actually, I was up so late at night. I just wanted some simple answers to a few questions, and I ended up spending all night reading about the NYPD, finding a fascinating blogger who got a book deal for his blog, checking out his links to other bloggers who got book deals for their blogs…. Is it possible that there’s much of anyone left who DOESN’T have a blog and ISN’T being offered tons of money from Big Publishers to write a freaking book?
I’m not saying some of those who are writing memoirs at 22 haven’t led fascinating albeit brief lives and aren’t good writers. But on behalf of those who’ve spent decades polishing their fiction-writing skills and don’t get six-figure advances for writing disparaging things about their families, coworkers, professions, and certain ethnic groups, may I just say….
Aw, never mind. I’ll save it for my memoirs.
I completely agree. I have to research things all the time, and I never know if the facts are truly accurate, so I have to call to check up on the information. I do this about 50 times a week. It’s awful.
As for the publishing at age 22, the memoirs of their life, well I think it’s bunk. If it’s about when they were 2, okay, I can see that, but really, unless it’s something major spectacular, spectacular, then I don’t get it. Blogs are overrated sometimes too. Now there are places that want to advertise on certain blogs. My friend gave me the information and said “you could make money by advertising on your blog.” Why? Why would I do that? People would stop reading it for all the garbage, and that is why we have spam patrol anyway…
When I write my memoirs, which I doubt I will, even though my life has been a wild, strange, trip, I think I would rather someone else write it. Too personal, too close…