First Have Something to Say
By Walt Crawford
American Libraries Columnist
Senior analyst, Research Libraries Group
Column for October 2003
In June, ALA Editions published my latest book, First Have Something to Say: Writing for the Library Profession. I’m thrilled, because it is my first book of the new millennium—and it breaks a lengthy writer’s block of years during which I began to think I’d never publish another book. That makes its completion and publication a little more satisfying.
First Have Something to Say offers personal advice that challenges some conventional wisdom about writing. I think you’ll find it provides a worthwhile set of considerations for writing and speaking within the field.
You can sample the book for free. Cites & Insights: Crawford at Large (cites.boisestate.edu) included the draft version of chapter 1 in the June 2003 issue and will include two or three more chapters between now and January 2004.
The joy of nontraditional writing
Instead of yammering on about the new book, I’d like to add some thoughts relating to the two chapters on nontraditional writing. I’m using “nontraditional writing” as an umbrella term for single-author weblogs, zines, e-newsletters, and related forms. What do these forms have in common?
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They put your words, your style, and your thoughts out to a potentially wide audience, which can become a community of friends and acquaintances.
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They give you the freedom to experiment in new areas, break out of traditional niches, and write on any topic and at any length.
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They can make, enhance, or broaden your reputation as someone with something to say.
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They can also come back to haunt you—it’s difficult to “unpublish” something that’s appeared on the open Web.
Zines and personal newsletters existed before the Web and exist alongside it, but the more I read and write within the Web, the more I believe that webzines and e-newsletters are fundamentally different from print zines and personal newsletters. In the print world, preparing a personal publication used to be difficult and is still not trivial—and putting that publication in front of thousands of people is expensive and slow. It’s easy to publish a print zine for a dozen friends, but doing one for a slew of strangers is a major hassle and expense. On the Web, there’s no real difference between an audience of two and an audience of 2,000.
Breaking free
Nontraditional Internet-based writing can set you free, but that freedom can yield surprises. My own zine began as a continuation of a traditional newsletter section predominantly about personal computing and related technologies. That was my niche, and I stepped outside it rarely and reluctantly. Now, in its third year, less than 10% of Cites & Insights deals with personal computing. My long-suffering editors at American Libraries have seen that freedom as well. The working title for this column was “The E-files,” yet eight of the 21 columns to date do not fit that title.
You’re also free to experiment, with no long-term requirements or expectations. Of the many library and librarian weblogs begun over the last year or two, quite a few have disappeared or been abandoned. The same can be said for zines, newsletters, and e-journals. Once in a while, a “dead” e-publication returns (LLRX.com, for example); but there’s no shame in running a weblog or zine for three months, then abandoning it or transforming its role (Library Stuff, for example).
The downside
The freedom of e-publication has virtues but it also has drawbacks. The most obvious ones are that you won’t get paid and that nontraditional writing probably won’t count toward tenure or promotion. Plus:
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Once you’re online, you’re there for keeps. Your words and style may survive longer and reach farther than you’d like. You may draw unwanted attention in addition to the recognition you’re looking for.
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It’s your writing and your style with no editorial intervention. Your clumsy word choices, grammatical errors, naïve punctuation, spelling problems, interminable sentences, and intemperate opinions are there. With weblogs, others may see all the flaws in your work before you do—but even with zines, it’s hard to edit your own words well.
Three-quarters of my current writing appears nontraditionally, and I can’t imagine giving that up—even as I occasionally cringe when dealing with the results. Freedom has its price, but it also has its rewards.
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