The Book

[Arn]

Let's see...It was a dark and stormy night. nope already used

Peregrinos Who've Lost Their Way...too scary...might convince some folks not to try.

Drinking My Way...to Santiago It has a certain ring and a large affinity appeal, but may have artificial limits.

The Hounds of Galacia ...but leaves out several provinces and France.


Maybe instead of starting with an opening sentence or pithy title...maybe we should gather our many and varied resources and see what skeleton we can put flesh on. Also, would there be a
market for such a collaboration?

Buen thinking caps on please Camino

Arn

 

[Rambler]

I would think so. And given that this came out of the "class of 2009" thread, maybe it could become an annual affair, if enough witty authors do the Camino each year. I am sure that there are enough stories and activities. Just take a look at all the blogs!

There is enough out there to definitely put together at least one book.

Neat idea...

Rambler

 

[Deleted member 397]

As a suggestion it might be an idea to offer a framework within which contributors can offer opinions. By that I mean suggestions for:
A Title
Contents: Spiritual moments,humourous anecdotes,Emotional moments,Personalities met,architectural highlights etc,
Equipment to take-some suggestions
A brief outline of the different routes (do we need another CF-centric book?-what about the routes from Arles,Vezelay,Porto,Valencia,Madrid,Paris,Le Puy,Geneva etc etc...)

 

[Arn]

Gareth and Rambler and others,

I think we are looking at several different and thought provoking options here.

Rambler...you first...You are correct...there is enough grist for the mill on an annual basis to create an affinity book where the unique experiences of many peregrinos could be recounted.

Gareth...your suggestion may be the toughest, but more spiritual undertaking. It would have appear for Christians, religious and seekers alike who ponder the Camino. I personally used St Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises as a daily focus. But you bring the Gospels into the Here and NOW in a unique and compelling Way. Since my return to St Timothy's...I've taken on Adult Education and RCIA as the primary catechist. To have a living document that may encourage the pilgrimage to Santiago as more than a search for an indulgence could be highly popular and meaningful. Let's explore these options further.

Buen I can smell the wood burning Camino

Arn

 

[Anonymous]

would there be a market for such a collaboration?

I think CSJ might want to consider the possibility. As I mentioned on the other thread, before we switched here, The "Roads to Santiago" spiritual companion produced by CSJ last year shows that this kind of jointly written publication can be successful. I'd be interested to see what Johnny Walker or William Marques have to say on this topic, as I'm sure they'd be better placed to give a good opinion on the viability of this idea.

Good initiative, Arn.

Gareth

PS: I've just read your most recent post which has appeared above. Mention of my idiosyncratic 'memory theatre' system, using the Camino to recall the four Gospels (on the previous thread) was purely an aside. It was not for a moment meant as a suggestion for wider use!

 

[WolverineDG]

"Uphill, in the Rain, or what the Camino means to Me"



Kelly

 

[William Marques]

would there be a market for such a collaboration?

I think CSJ might want to consider the possibility. As I mentioned on the other thread, before we switched here, The "Roads to Santiago" spiritual companion produced by CSJ last year shows that this kind of jointly written publication can be successful. I'd be interested to see what Johnny Walker or William Marques have to say on this topic, as I'm sure they'd be better placed to give a good opinion on the viability of this idea.

Good initiative, Arn.

Gareth

I'll leave this one to Johnny Walker as my hand are pretty full with the CPR at the moment. I know Sil has some experience in small volume publication and Paul and Babette at Pilgrim Publications http://www.pilgrimagepublications.com are experts in publishing low volume editions.

Good luck.

William

 

[Anonymous]

I'll leave this one to Johnny Walker as my hand are pretty full with the CPR at the moment.

Certainly, and it's pretty much at the ideas stage at present. The suggestion about a publisher is a good one.

Gareth

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Good idea - but some key decisions need to be made:

Who is going to drive this forward and champion the project? (i.e. do all the work)

Will that person have ownership and edtiorial control?

If so where will the copyright for the material lie?

Who will finally decide the format? At the moment it is a concept

What size will it be, how many chapters, how many contributors?

Will it have pics/illustrations/maps? Who will bring these together and get permissions from other publishers to use the material?

Finally - will it be published in printed form or be an on line resource? The second is obviously easier and the "book" could be published here on the forum.

My own view is that there are hundreds of camino related books published most of which appear to be self funded by the author - simply because the market isn't there. Therefore I think a starting point would be a section of the forum structured like an e book with various chapters and contributors - well edited of course! But that in itself will prove controversial as some contriubtions will not be suitable, other may have to be re-written etc.

Good luck!

John

 

[ksam]

Ok...general sense of my leanings may be apparent in my title suggestions. Tales from the Crypt Or Trip to a Crypt or Camino to the Crypt ??

Sorry, in the winter I have a bad habit of watching grade B horror movies...peferably the old type...But a title like that might grab a few

Karin :wink:

 

[Arn]

Karin,

Titles are great...we have lots of stuff to put in...then, a sobering moment...reading JW's excellent comments...getting a publisher and a good edito, format person are on the top of the list.

Thinking...always...thinking,

Arn

 

[sillydoll]

After my last camino I was tempted to write a book "La Pretiosa: Tales and tribulations of a Buddhist, a Calvinist and the Dominican nun on el camino".

 

[Anonymous]

Who is going to drive this forward and champion the project? (i.e. do all the work)

Will that person have ownership and edtiorial control?

If so where will the copyright for the material lie?

<SNIP>

Therefore I think a starting point would be a section of the forum structured like an e book with various chapters and contributors - well edited of course! But that in itself will prove controversial as some contriubtions will not be suitable, other may have to be re-written etc.

Hi John,

All very good points. As we know, whenever it is proposed in a meeting that 'so-and-so would be a good idea' - even if it meets with general approval - the next stage is always the crunch issue: who is going to do the work? The question of editorial control could be a really difficult one - especially in something that is essentially a 'community' venture, because notions of censorship and perceived quality differences would come in fairly quickly and could cause difficulties.

Hi Arn,
I'm happy to do something towards this, if it happens. I.e. contribute some writing. It was your proposal: would you see yourself in the coordinating role? If something on these lines were to be further considered, the online option has my vote, rather than the printed book, for reasons Johnny Walker makes very clear.


Gareth

 

[Arn]

Gareth and JW,

Solid points and...upon further review...it appears the most accessible would be an ebook...or something similar along the lines of say...Wikipedia.

By registering for the Forum and entering into the conversation...I think the threads become open source and public property. Therefore, if one were to search the entries for say "spiritual' or Epiphany types entries...you'd probably have quite a start.

As far as the editorial process, that would be limited to organization, spelling, etc...I would leave the writing style of the individual as is, because that's how they personally communicate. If we had something that could obviously attract a "paying" readership...then that would enter the world of font type and size, etc.

Thoughts?

Arn