Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Input Please

Friends,

My psychiatrist is firmly of the opinion that I need to settle down with *one* project rather than flitting around amongst a whole bunch of different ones. He feels this will bring me focus and creative satisfaction. So here is an idea! Will you tell me which of these I should actually write/finish? Or which would interest you? (If any, gosh.)

- Book in which I visit the world's dollhouses, discourse about miniatures etc. generally

- Book in which I gain all old-lady skills

- Children's novel re: Pied Piper of Hamelin

-Book in which I live for a year on Tangier Island, learn life lessons

- Book about my 4 great-grandmothers (that's my mom's idea)

- Something about food.

These are all wholly theoretical, except when I've written bits of them. Even so, help me narrow down! I am actually not kidding, because you know how I write, etc.

24 comments:

Shelly said...

I like the ideas about the old lady skills, the great grandmothers, and the island- in that order.

bess said...

At the risk of contradicting your therapist I find that working on two projects at once is pretty beneficial. I'll focus on one at a time but when I'm in a rut with one, I'll switch to the other, as a kind of palate cleanser. Oftentimes I'll have an epiphany or find a solution that will help me with the first project. That's my two cents, anyway. I would pick two very different books to work on, like the children's novel and the old lady skills book. I'm a fan of old lady skills, myself.

Emily said...

I would very much like to read the book about old lady skills.

Li said...

I also like old lady skills, great-grandmothers, and dollhouses. Do you know about the giant dollhouse in Saskatchewan? If not you MUST look it up!

Jaime said...

From what I've read of you writing (a surprising lot, actually) I think you'd write an excellent book about dollhouses, miniatures, etc.

Elly said...

I would like to read ... the book on dollhouses or the one about your great-grandmothers. This is incredibly selfish and mostly based on the fact that I am already replete with anachronistic talents.

Katie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katie said...

The book about the great-grandmas sounds very interesting. Writing the dollhouses book would be a hoot! I like the idea of old lady skillz (I don't believe old ladies ever spell skills with a 'z', though), but when run through the promotion wringer it might come out as condescending and blind to history - my worst fear would be "Cute Brooklyn-ite learns how to can vegetables and quilt, OMG!" But perhaps I am being too cynical!

Lindsay Ross said...

Dollhouses - it's Sarah Vowell-esque and you would so enjoy the research.

Unknown said...

i vote for the children's novel.

tracy said...

Well, I like the old lady skills, but if you pursue the dollhouses: http://www.angelsattic.com/

Li said...

Oops, it's actually in Manitoba.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2007/06/11/benning-dollhouse.html

I would love to take photographs for the dollhouse book.

PetiteXL said...

Another vote for "old lady skills" here! A great idea and so much potential, too, for pics and tutorials and little personal histories along the way.

alicia said...

perhaps somehow combine the two topics of great-grandmothers and old lady skills? both sound intriguing.

alicia said...

perhaps somehow combine the two topics of great-grandmothers and old lady skills? both sound intriguing.

Kate said...

B - Old Lady Skills! I'm curious already.

Annie said...

DOLLHOUSES (I will buy 15 copies.)

Anonymous said...

The great grandmothers! The world needs more stories about awesome women.

Kim: said...

This quiet fan would read anything you write, but I'm especially in favor of the old lady skills and dollhouses.

Jess said...

You should do the old-lady skills book, but write it as both an experiential memoir and an instructional book. So that while reading about your adventures, I can also develop some old-lady skills which I woefully lack.

mandi said...

I vote for the island, the grandmothers and the food. Though I'm intrigued by Alicia's idea of combining old lady skills and writing about your grandmothers!

Nicole said...

Oooh I'm a little late but I vote for the dollhouse book (Colleen Moore!!) and second for the great-grandmothers. I'm excited to see what you come up with.

Sara said...

Dollhouses, then Tangier.

Ally said...

I want doll houses. And grandmothers. I would read these things.