I think slow.
Don’t put me in a debate that requires me to think on my feet and come back with a snappy answer. I need time to think about the implications of what is said and whether or not I agree.
One of the projects I’m revising is a nonfiction, about the history of American quilts. I’ve been thinking about how to position this story, how to approach it in such a way that will make it a trade book and not just a book for the education market.
A trade book has to have a wider reach, a broader market, a high-concept. I’m at that uncomfortable stage when I “know it when I see it” but can’t explain what that means. In any case, my story isn’t there, yet.
One of the major problems with the story is that we have so many myths about quilts. And even when I present the historical facts that directly contradict the myth, people still cling to the myth. I’m amazed by reader reactions! I finally saw a folklorist talk about the importance of myths to explain our individual lives, our families, our cultures.
It’s taken a while for that discussion to seep into my brain. The folklorist says that “whether or not the story is true” isn’t the point. It’s how the story functions to explain our lives that explains why people cling to the myths.
It’s sadly ironic that the quilt stories we tell prevent us from seeing the real thing, the quilts themselves. Perhaps this recognition is a way into the real story.
The folklorist says that when we set aside the myths, then we find real human lives that are vastly more interesting. It’s true. The story I want to tell about American quilts is the story of shipwrecks, revolutions, spies and warriors!
Maybe my slow, slow thinking is showing me a way to approach this story that will pull it up to a trade market level. Finally. Maybe.
Related posts:
If it is the myths people are interested in then tell the myths – they will buy the book to have their myth confirmed. Everyone knows that behind the myth is a real story or a grain of truth, so you can then tell the exciting real story. You might even want to explore why the real story turned into a myth and examine the significance of the myth.
Peter–
It certainly is important to address the myths. I’m struggling with exactly how to do that. And everything you mentioned is part of that struggle.
Thanks!
Darcy