[Gocamino] Thinking of writing a book about your camino?

[Rosina]

Hi,
Out of curiosity: why would you address your diatribe to me? Or is it a computer glitch?
In general, I do agree with Sil and think her literary advice well meant and very much worth while.  (Writing teachers get paid for such counsel).
Presumably, people who write books want them to be read by others, but they must contend with  the law of diminishing  returns (after the tenth consecutive banana eaten the liking for bananas inevitably diminishes).
I myself stopped reading first-person Camino account books years and years ago because of their predictable repetitiveness.  When one of them proves its worthiness by selling millions of copies, as the one written by the German pilgrim has done, then I do read it with the greatest of pleasure. 
That book, by the way, pretty much follows the approaches suggested by Sil.
 
Hugs!
 
Rosina
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Raymond Francis <raymondfrancis at hotmail.com>
To: Rosina <saintjames at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Apr 5, 2010 4:12 pm
Subject: [saintjames] Thinking of writing a book about your camino?


Why do we have to criticize and mock those who write about the Camino and record 
commonly repeated emotions? This confirms that many people experiment the same 
feelings. Yes, It is true that while on the Camino we sense that it is a call 
and that after the Walk we have this urge to recidivate again and again. 
If we want to look for someth exceptional and unique, Shirley McLane and her 
wild esoteric voyages thru time will take you back in her book about the Camino 
to her many lives she previously lived, during one of which she was a courtesan 
in the court of Charlemagne, or the inimitable and great Paolo Coelho and his 
secretive society.
People who do not possess similar imagination and writing skills interpret their 
ideas and feelings in a simple and crude manner. You can simply ignore their 
chronicles. No need to be sarcastic.
As to the spelling mistakes, not all people have a good command of English or 
Spanish. Better respect the efforts they exerted. 
I feel that more and more we are drifting away from the spirit of the Camino 
which remains an intensive internal experience. And yes, people are changed and 
never stop repeating it since centuries. Does this remove of the undeniable 
nature of the Way, the sincerity, simplicity and faith?




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sil" <sillydoll at gmail.com>
To: <saintjames at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 3:14 AM
Subject: Re: [saintjames] Thinking of writing a book about your camino?

 As much as I love reading camino stories, and am passionate about the
camino, some of the books I've read are becoming exceedingly boring!
After reviewing 4 new camino books in 8 months, I'd like to appeal to
potential writers to find a new approach or a different focus to their story
to avoid the formulaic, almost write-by-numbers style of camino story.

You know the kind I mean - "I felt called to walk the camino; I climbed over
a mountain and got blisters/shin splints/tendonitis; slept in a room with
100 snoring strangers; got up early; packed, walked, arrived, washed, ate,
slept - ditto, ditto, ditto, blah,blah, blah - met amazing people; arrived
in Santiago, cried in the mass and now I am a changed person - Amen.
The End."

Remember, thousands upon thousands of pilgrims walk the same landscape,
through the same towns, face similar challenges and learn similar lessons
and experience the same highs and lows as you do - and many, like you, now
have an urge to hit the keyboard and turn their journal into a book.

Find an original theme. Not everyone can walk with a donkey, or lead a blind
person, or walk in the dead of winter, but there has to be new, fresh slant
to a camino story for the book to have any appeal.

And please, get your spelling right and be consistent (you can't have
hosteleria, hospitaleria, hospitalero etc).
And, check your geography. You can't meet up with old friends you first met
in Triacastela when you arrive in el Acebo!

Last year we visited a book shop in Pamplona. The owner told us that over
400 new camino stories had been published between June 2008 and June 2009.
The market is becoming saturated and unless you self-publish, you will need
to have something original to say to persuade a publisher to add your book
to the many hundreds out there.

Sil
http://amawalker.blogspot.com/
www.2009pilgrims.blogspot.com
www.vfpilgrims.blogspot.com
www.csjofsa.org.za

                      
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