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I want to write something
Nov. 1st, 2014 06:46 amThere's a book I'm reading -- Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Ever-Ending Earth by Craig Childs. So far, the take away message to me is that the Earth is always changing, that in the past, things have sometimes changed slowly and sometimes changed in big, abrupt ways, and that things are changing now, probably in big, abrupt ways. The fact that humans are causing the changes that we are in the midst of isn't discussed much more than in a passing "this is so obvious that it's kindof of boring" way. He doesn't talk much about what we may be seeing in the future, he just looks at the environmental changes that are happening now, relates it to changes that other societies have faced, and talks about what happened to those societies. The prose is gorgeous; I get lost in it.
But I want something else. I want a "so, if this happens" book. I want to look at different scenarios, large and small. I want the book that's been playing in my head for the last ten years. And I've been wondering if perhaps I could write that book. But I think, you know, I'm only a fair writer. I'm not a published science writer. I don't have any connections, though Peter Wadhams wrote me back once so maybe I could get some response from other scientists. I'm somewhat clever, so maybe I could write something worthwhile. And, hey, I'm sure I could get crits from here. So I'm thinking that yeah, I'll do this.
My idea is to simply write it from my perspective, a middle-aged, working class woman. A mother and grandmother. A person who's studied a bit, and can read the papers and make sense of the science jargon. But mostly, a person who puts things together, who looks at all of this information, both scientific papers and my own senses, and sees a different reality than what most folks seem to be living in. Back in 2007 I wrote an essay, Torn Roots -- I think that my book will be something like that.
I've had ideas to work on this project or that, and sometimes I fiddle with it and sometimes it just sits there. But I've been thinking of this for a while and I have a great desire to do this. This is my declaration of intent.
But I want something else. I want a "so, if this happens" book. I want to look at different scenarios, large and small. I want the book that's been playing in my head for the last ten years. And I've been wondering if perhaps I could write that book. But I think, you know, I'm only a fair writer. I'm not a published science writer. I don't have any connections, though Peter Wadhams wrote me back once so maybe I could get some response from other scientists. I'm somewhat clever, so maybe I could write something worthwhile. And, hey, I'm sure I could get crits from here. So I'm thinking that yeah, I'll do this.
My idea is to simply write it from my perspective, a middle-aged, working class woman. A mother and grandmother. A person who's studied a bit, and can read the papers and make sense of the science jargon. But mostly, a person who puts things together, who looks at all of this information, both scientific papers and my own senses, and sees a different reality than what most folks seem to be living in. Back in 2007 I wrote an essay, Torn Roots -- I think that my book will be something like that.
I've had ideas to work on this project or that, and sometimes I fiddle with it and sometimes it just sits there. But I've been thinking of this for a while and I have a great desire to do this. This is my declaration of intent.
