Newsletter #58 — You Need, They Want
May 1, 2023
Newsletter #58 — You Need, They Want
Seeking Answers — "A librarian's going to point you to the answer you need. Google's going to point you to the answer they want you to have." — Steven Ackerman, University of Wisconsin Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. I read this quote in the most recent issue of OnWisconsin Magazine, the alumni publication of the University of Wisconsin.
I've been muttering about Google search results for years and years, saying that the search engine was paying no attention to what I was asking, it was simply trying to shove down my throat the information it wanted me to have. I am resistant to such manipulation — and I hope you are, too.
Mule Book Subsection — In rewriting the mule book I ran into a problem. After each chapter there's some information which, for lack of a better word, I'll call a subsection. As I was rewriting the narrative I was trying to rewrite the subsections as they came up. But this proved very cumbersome. I was so intent on the main narrative that I couldn't really do justice to the subsections.
So I did something I've never done before: I removed all the subsections and considered them as one small manuscript. I then rewrote that manuscript. And when I was finished, I simply integrated the subsections back into the main narrative. This went very well . . . but only, I think, because the subsections are very, very different from the main narrative.
Mule Book Title — I'm still working on this! A title is so very important. It must grab reader interest. And, if it's a good title, it will suggest what the book is about. Further, if it's a really good title, its deeper meaning won't resonate with the reader until after he has finished reading the book. A classic example is Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. I hope I come up with something good.
Appositives — In my May 1 blog I talk about appositives. This is the second time I've been inspired to write about appositives.