| A few nights ago in the final class of
| |
| | by skirting around some of the most
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| the third incarnation of the Book
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| | horrific and personally revealing
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| Proposal Boot Camp, we reviewed parts of
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| | elements of her story.
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| one author's proposal and all concurred:
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| | In the gentle-yet-honest way we aim for
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| Though her author bio and marketing
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| | in the Boot Camps, the class let Delicia
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| analysis sections sparkled, her overview
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| | know that she was jumping over the best
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| rambled and failed to clearly convey the
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| | parts. We wanted to hear more of the
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| power of her book's message. This was not
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| | nitty gritty: her search for identity,
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| due to her content! Dr. Loraine Hutchins'
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| | the struggle for approval of the women
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| book is about sacred sexual healers,
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| | she admired, the physical dangers and how
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| quite a juicy topic. I was a bit
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| | they paralleled her childhood terror.
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| surprised to read the rather flaccid
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| | At one point, Delicia casually recounted
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| Overview. This was Dr. Hutchins' second
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| | a journey to Africa prior to the Peace
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| Boot Camp (all Boot Camp attendees get
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| | Corps stint. In that first journey, she
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| free repetition of the Camp for the life
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| | described how she survived an assault and
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| of the project they began with), and I
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| | attempted rape. We all wanted to know
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| had seen much tighter prose from her in
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| | immediately whether and how that
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| prior classes.
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| | experience impacted the story she
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| Finally, Loraine (as she is known to us)
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| | presented in her memoir. She asked us
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| admitted she was scared to put
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| | tentatively, "Do you think I should
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| herself-that is, her unique ideas-out
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| | include that part?" We all practically
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| into the world. I validated her
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| | screamed, "Yes!"
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| fear-revealing oneself on paper can bring
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| | The class went on to tease out the
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| up one's worst demons. I said something
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| | "hero's journey" elements of Delicia's
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| like, "Overwriting can serve as a way of
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| | storyline, and help her structure the
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| padding yourself against the
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| | piece for maximum impact and reader
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| vulnerability of exposure." We wondered
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| | engagement. We helped her tie in early
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| if that's what academics did all the
| |
| | scenarios of being left home alone
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| time. Since this particular writer was
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| | terrified, to the dangers she encountered
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| adapting an academic work for a larger
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| | in remote parts of Africa under the
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| audience, she was struggling to filter
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| | auspices of the Peace Corps, whose
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| out the jargon and polish her message to
| |
| | leaders failed to help her cope. Her
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| clarity.
| |
| | story now uses the passages of childhood
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| Loraine's book, Harlots and Healers,
| |
| | recollections to help flesh out the
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| reveals the history, contribution and
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| | nuances of the narrator's motives,
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| culture of modern day sacred sexual
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| | actions and emotions in the Peace Corps
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| healers. Because her book deals with a
| |
| | setting. Said Delicia,
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| controversial topic, people who perform
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| | "I felt as if I was flailing in all
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| sexual services for others as a
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| | directions before Jill's class. I still
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| profession or vocation, her fear has some
| |
| | have a mountain of work to do, but now
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| basis in realistic perceptions of how
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| | I'm doing it with focus and honesty, and
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| others might react to her material.
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| | I am certain that I have a much better
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| Loraine is no stranger to controversial,
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| | chance of getting it published."
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| or for that matter, groundbreaking work.
| |
| | I admire both Loraine and Delicia for
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| Her first book, an anthology co-edited
| |
| | their courage in standing on difficult
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| with Lani Ka'ahumanu (who will be coming
| |
| | social and emotional edges, each author
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| out with new works of her own in the near
| |
| | writing a book only she can write. In my
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| future) was called Bi Any Other Name:
| |
| | experience, the most interesting writing
|
| Bisexual People Speak Out. An anthology
| |
| | pushes some kind of edge, be it personal,
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| of writing by bisexual authors, it still
| |
| | social, or simply the edge of what we
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| earns royalties ten years later, a rare
| |
| | think we or the world knows. The best
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| achievement for any book. The Advocate
| |
| | writing takes us out of the ordinary and
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| magazine also lauded Bi Any Other Name as
| |
| | expands our view of the possible. Yet
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| one of the top 100 most influential
| |
| | standing on that edge alone can be scary.
|
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
| |
| | One of the things that has surprised and
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| (LGBT) books of the last century. Because
| |
| | moved me about all three of the Book
|
| it involves selecting, editing and
| |
| | Proposal Camps so far is how the writers
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| organizing works by large numbers of
| |
| | have come forward to support one other as
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| other authors, getting an anthology
| |
| | they stand on their respective edges. In
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| published poses unique challenges. But a
| |
| | each case, the students got deeply
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| book, written oneself from beginning to
| |
| | involved with each other's work,
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| end calls forth a whole other level of
| |
| | supported the variety of personal
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| trepidation. Loraine voiced a
| |
| | struggles that usually accompany writing
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| determination to not let "my own or other
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| | on the edge, and offered wisdom and
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| people's fear shut me down."
| |
| | feedback to keep one another on track.
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| At the time she began the Boot Camp, her
| |
| | This gave each student a way to help cope
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| dissertation had already sold 70 copies
| |
| | with and harness the fear usually
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| as a self-published document, and she had
| |
| | inherent in the process of getting
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| received excellent feedback from many
| |
| | published. Said Loraine,
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| readers. But now this cutting-edge author
| |
| | "Where there's fear there is power. As
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| seeks a larger audience. She won't tell
| |
| | Dorothy Allison, Audre Lorde, Marianne
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| the commercial publishers that Harlots
| |
| | Williamson and many other courageous
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| and Healers is based on a dissertation,
| |
| | women have taught me, writing through the
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| because too many of them might moan,
| |
| | fear, not giving it power, keeping one's
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| groan and glaze over, as they are wont to
| |
| | eye on the vision is what makes me a
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| do in response to work they know
| |
| | writer and a survivor."
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| originated in academia. So we're being
| |
| | Even when we do have our eye on a vision,
|
| extra careful to help Loraine craft her
| |
| | executing it alone can prove difficult.
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| message for a popular audience.
| |
| | Working in a vacuum, without any feedback
|
| So how did Loraine juice up her Overview?
| |
| | can leave an author poorly prepared for
|
| As many of you already know, the Overview
| |
| | publication. Delicia said,
|
| is the section of the book proposal that
| |
| | "Before Jill's course, I had
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| summarizes the book's contents. It often
| |
| | unsuccessfully written a proposal for my
|
| begins with a "hook," or especially
| |
| | book. The feedback I received from both
|
| interesting lead-in. At the class's
| |
| | the agent who agreed to read it and my
|
| urging, Loraine rewrote her Overview to
| |
| | friends was that the elements of my story
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| begin with different scenarios of sexual
| |
| | were fascinating...but not the way I had
|
| healers in action-something an editor
| |
| | presented it. Working with Jill and the
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| might find much more difficult to put
| |
| | other students, I realized that I was
|
| down than the dry historical facts with
| |
| | avoiding telling the ugly parts of my
|
| which she had previously begun. We all
| |
| | story, and in essence had avoided telling
|
| cheered to read about the...well, I'm
| |
| | my story truthfully. My book was a series
|
| blushing, so you'll just have to wait for
| |
| | of anecdotes without a theme, and now I
|
| Harlots and Healers to hit the
| |
| | have much more focus on what I intend to
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| bookstores. Stay tuned!
| |
| | 'say' in my book and how to do it."
|
| If writing from the edge of social and
| |
| | The truth isn't always pretty, and it
|
| sexual norms fed Loraine's fear, writing
| |
| | certainly isn't always comfortable to put
|
| from the edge of personal trauma fed
| |
| | forth. And yet, the journey of getting
|
| Delicia Hegwood's, another student in the
| |
| | published often involves doing just that,
|
| class. Penning a memoir entitled "This
| |
| | despite one's fears. If Loraine and
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| Torture is A Luxury" about how her
| |
| | Delicia could work with their fear, what
|
| adventures in the Peace Corps brought her
| |
| | about you? What do you think you need to
|
| face-to-face with some of her own inner
| |
| | move forward to publish the book inside
|
| demons, Delicia had been playing it safe
| |
| | you?
|
