Monday, February 23, 2015

Once Upon a Time

I’m not bragging, but this is the feedback I’ve been getting lately.

You’re so funny. You should write a book.

So many strange things have happened to you. You should write a book.

Please write a book. I’d definitely read it.

Alright already. I’ll do it.

Except I have no idea where to start.

I don’t see myself as funny. Sometimes when I write something on the blog and get comments that it was so funny, I am surprised because I wasn’t even trying to be funny. That’s odd, isn’t it?

I suppose that unusual things do happen to me. People say I am kind of a magnet for everything weird. From the outside, my life could look a bit strange, but from the inside I have trouble separating the strange from the regular. It’s just my life.

You’d definitely read it? That’s a lot of commitment on your side. That involves much more time than reading the occasional blog post. I am not convinced.

That brings us back to the first point. I do not know where to start.

Thanks to one lovely lady and Kielbasa Stories reader, I am writing some English texts for a school textbook, but that’s a different story. The author of the book sets everything up and then sends you quite specific information about what kind of texts are needed. You do your best, send them back, do some editing, and somehow all the puzzle pieces fit together, and you’ve got a book. I suspect it is a lot of work fitting all those pieces together, but I don’t see that part.

This would be all me. Yikes. That’s daunting.

12 comments:

Zuzanka said...

Your stories appear to be received as funny 'cause you have a different view on Poland and Polish culture. Not funny in fact.

But definitely will read your book.

Me said...

Łał, poważna sprawa. Z natury jestem, eufemistycznie ujmując, sceptykiem... Co to będzie za książka? Poradnik, reportaż (coś w rodzaju "Gottland" Szczygła?), dziennik-pamiętnik? Może coś fabularyzowanego? Trzymam kciuki, może się okaże, że drzemał w Tobie talent literacki. :)

Chris said...

Zuzanka - I'm counting on you :)

Me - I think this blog is the peak of my literary talents. I too am skeptical of my own abilities, so no worries.

Wojtek said...

Dla nowicjuszy najlepszym pomysłem jest pisanie krótkich utworów. Najlepszą propozycją jest napisanie czegoś w rodzaju nowelki. Nowelki nie są wymagające a można z nich wiele nauczyć się

Me said...

Ale ja Ci kibicuję. Nie rezygnuj.

Chris said...

Let's say it is a two to five-year plan. Ready, set, go.

Chris said...

And one more thing...I think it should be in Polish. What do you think?

Wojtek said...

ja proponuje abyś spróbowała najpierw w języku angielskim napisać, potem po polsku. Efektywniej jest zaczynać od prostszych do trudniejszych wyzwań niż odwrotnie

Me said...

On the other way, challenges make improvements. ;) Good luck.

Chris said...

I almost always write in English so I would definitely start there. I was thinking that the finished product should be in Polish - from my observation of current KS readers.

Me said...

Well, chyba najważniejsze pytanie obok "O czym i w jakiej formie pisać?" to "Do kogo będę pisać?", które ściśle wiąże się z tym pierwszym. Może będziesz pisać o Polakach, Polsce i Twoim jej doświadczaniu i wtedy skierujesz to do anglojęzycznego czytelnika jako poradnik, zabawną lekturę, po którą sięgną przed przyjazdem (krótko- lub długoterminowym) tutaj. Może najpierw odpowiedzieć sobie na podstawowe pytania, ktre zdeterminują te bardziej szczegółowe. Tak mi się wydaje. Pozdrawiam.

Chris said...

You would think that I wou want to write to people like me, foreigners contemplating a stay in Poland, but I cannot forget the Polish readers as well, some in Poland, some who have moved abroad too. I read a couple of blogs of people who moved to the U.S. and I find them really interesting.

I appreciate all the advice though :)