Reticent
I guess that this whole SoFoBoMo thing has left me with few words. I was going to write this post last night, but just didn’t feel like it. Then, I awoke this morning and see that Gordon has written a post very similar in thought to what I was going to write. So, rather than to ditch it, I just decided to write it anyway. 
I remember reading about Eckhart Tolle, the author of The Power Of Now, saying that after he wrote that book that we was going to take time off to create space so that he could write another book, which happened to be his current book, A New Earth. I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but now, I think that I understand. He was taking a bit of time to relax from the rigors of book making and let the next batch of ideas and writings flow, I suppose.
After the completion of my little book, I was pretty drained. I usually go out and shoot at least a couple of time a week, but, within the last week, have only gone out once, then for only a few minutes, perhaps 10. Above is one of the photos that I took. I was just not in the mood, strangely, to shoot, or to post. I was tired.
Doing the book has been fantastic and makes me want to do more of them. I’ve not gotten up the energy, like Gordon, to turn it into a tangible item, such as a hardback book, but I will get there. I’ll have to do it when I’m ‘feeling it’, but that’s not now.
I, like Gordon, have seen some nice books. I was particularly taken with Paul B.’s book about his walks with his dog. You should have a look when you get a chance. It’s very well put together! Also, there are a number of books nearing the finish line. Please check the posts under the SoFoBoMo heading to the right to see what everyone is doing. Let’s support them!
I’m really interested to know the after effects of making a book. I’ll be doing a lot of reading, I suppose, in the next few days.
What’s Next?
On May 24th, I’ll be heading to Utah. My mind is already starting to formulate ideas for a book about my one week experience and I’m finding that I need to think more of parts of a story, though I don’t even know what that story will be. Will it be about Zion, the small town of Hurricane, UT, the North Rim, Bryce, all of the above? Who knows?
SoFoBoMo: After words
So, it’s done. As I’m typing this, it is Saturday, April 26. I finished a few days earlier than I had anticipated or was required to. Wednesday, I posted the book to the website and so far the response has been positive. Over the past few days, before finalizing the book, I had many uncertainties crop up.
- How long should the book be? Pages of text.
- What should I say???
- How many pictures should I include?
- What should the format be? Portrait, landscape, square?
- How will I know if it is right?!
As of a couple of days ago, I only had the pictures and a vague idea of what the overall structure of the book might be.
What I learned
A book is a very personal thing. The pictures, their groupings, your words, etc, portray your vision. There is no right or wrong. Sure, there are accepted ways of structuring the book, but as for sequencing the pictures and grouping them, that’s totally up to you and your intuition. There’s probably not a guide for that. There may be some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it’s up to you to decide.
Finding the layout
Quite frankly, it found me, I suppose. I had no idea where to go, but strangely, I wasn’t troubled. I simply grabbed one of the few Tao books that I have and sat in my favorite place in the house and read. I wasn’t reading for inspiration, but just reading because I like to read. Sometime later, it hit me! Doh! I know what I like, how I feel, and what “floats my boat”, so I decided on a few chapters that matched those things that I really have an affinity for:
Water
Contrasts or opposites (yin/yang)
Tao Te Ching
And, just like that, I had my chapters. The hard part was in placing the pictures, but I just cruised all my available pictures and when I found one that I liked, I placed it. Then, I started over cruising for a match. All by intuition. Believe me, there was no logic nor rationalization involved. This was strictly on feeling alone. After I had the chapters, the rest just sort of fell into place.
Knowing when to say “no”
After I got on a roll, the hard part was in stopping. I had a lot of pictures that I wished to share, but didn’t want to overwhelm the reader, or myself. There’s a point of diminishing returns. A point where once shouldn’t pass, less the reader get tired and disinterested. I don’t know where the point is, but I didn’t want to go there.
Holding a cup and overfilling it
Cannot be as good as stopping short.Pounding a blade and sharpening it
Cannot be kept for long.
Would I go it again?
In a month, I don’t know; however, my approach may be different. As far as shooting, I’m pretty disciplined. I love to shoot, so I do it at least 2 days / week. I’d like to expand that to 5 days. Perhaps 5 days @ 20 minutes/day, or something like that. When I think of putting together another book, the inevitable question arises: What would it look like. This, by far, was the most difficult part of the process … coming up with a book design. I understand why artists (writers, photographers, etc) turn this part of the process over to a professional. It’s not easy, at least not for me.
The next book?
Rocks. Rocks appeal to me an some level. There’s so much history visible, so much strength. I find them very appealing, especially when they are near water, like a lake, ocean, or stream … Perhaps it will be entitle Yin & Yang
WordPress 2.5.1 upgrade
OK, I upgraded to the newest WordPress and, as usual, it didn’t go without a hitch. There was another conflict, with the same plugin as before, Similar Posts. I had to change from get_the_terms to get_the_terms_sp. Last time I upgraded, I had to change from get_terms to get_the_terms because WordPress defined a new method, get_terms. Now, I guess that they saw the conflict and decided to ‘fix’ it, causing me to have to change the name again. Why do I bother upgrading this software? What a headache it is sometimes. I guess that’s why I only upgrade about every 3rd or 4th upgrade.
Oh well. If you see anything amiss, please let me know!
Scribus settings for smaller PDFs
Thanks to Gordon McGregor for this information. Using these settings reduced the size of my PDF from 18 MB down to 3 MB and still maintained good quality.
SoFoBoMo: Earl’s gracious offer
My friend, Earl Moore, of Meandering Passage has offered to run compression on any SoFoBoMo PDF. So, if you are using Scribus, like I am, and would like to post a smaller PDF than Scribus can generate, head on over there and give Earl a shout and he’ll help you out.
Earl, thanks much for your kind offer. Here is the smaller version of my book, about 3 MB. The full sized, 18 MB is still available here, if you want to see it. You can notice a difference in picture quality, but it still looks good.
Again, thanks Earl!!!
SoFoBoMo: Crossing the finish line early.
No, it’s not a very good story – its author was too busy listening to other voices to listen as closely as he should have to the one coming from inside.
-Stephen King
Yes, I read Stephen King and I like his work. He writes so very honestly. There’s no pretense. I read his book, On Writing: Memoirs of a Craft. And I have to tell you, although small, it is packed with excellent advice for writing or, perhaps any other facet of life. In it, he says that he doesn’t write the stories, he just listen to the little voice in his head. The stories are already written, the just come to him. The book that I produced, may or may not be good. I don’t know. It pleased me. I had no idea of where it was going to end up, but when it finished, it was finished. I know, it sounds mysterious and it is. I wanted to add a lot more pictures, but it just ‘felt’ done and that if I had added more, it would be overdone.
Early finish
Coming across the finish line early has it’s perks, I suppose, but an unfortunate side effect of that is now there is something to compare to. We are, it seems, inexorably drawn to compare ourselves with others. I’ve seen several mentions here and there about raising the bar. I must admit, I looked at Gordon’s book before I submitted mine and thought: Man, that guy did a fantastic job, I hope mine is that good. Then, sanity took hold and I thought, mine is mine, and his is his. There is no comparison. Each book is based on the photographer’s preference, subject, personality, and feelings about the project. No two books will be alike … at all. And that’s a good thing. I’m looking forward to seeing the wealth of ideas presented and the variations on subject, layout, and picture selection.
I didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing, save for the structure of the book, thanks to a book about book design … other than that, I was lost, other than when I was taking pictures. What I produced was simply what felt right to me. There was no profound planning, to be sure!
Hopefully, being out front doesn’t cause anyone else to be discouraged. I’m certainly looking forward to see all of the offerings. I’ve already looked at Gordon’s book about 3 times. I’m sure that I’ll go back and have a gander again. So, here’s to the rest of you: Show us what you’ve got, as long as it satisfies you, it’s perfect; after all, that’s who you did it for! Seek quietness so that you can hear that little voice inside telling you what it wants.
SoFoBoMo:The Book has arrived
Click on the “Open Publication” button for the large version
So, here it is. It’s called Beyond First Impressions. I have lots to say, but for today, I think that I’ll just present the book. Over the next couple of days, I think that I’ll write about the ‘end’ experience. The book is a flash version, but for those of you who like PDF, I’m working on a version. Unfortunately, the output size is about 18 MB and I’m trying to figure out how to make it smaller. But, if you like ‘em large, here it is.
Regarding the PDF, it would be better to download the book, open it, go to
View->Page Display->Two Up
View->Page Display->Show Cover Page During Two-up
This will ensure that the pages show correctly. I didn’t figure out how to export it so that it would open that way naturally.
As always, your comments are encouraged!