I was thinking of nonfiction narratives about sustained trauma. I’m not even sure how this may differ from a single instance of trauma a person has problems recovering from psychologically, but I suspect the course–and efforts to relate such trauma to others–is quite different from single-time traumas.

I consider myself a fairly effective writer, but I recall the utter frustration of trying to express my experiences in Iraq via my blog, because there’s no way I can put you there and make you feel it. I’ve long thought that the reason we have so few books or even stories from actual soldiers is related somehow to the inherent problems of telling a Mars story to an audience which has never been to Mars, and expecting them to identify.

I’m interested in pursuing the question of the disconnects that make such stories ultimately unrelateable.

d

So take your time, think about the pros and cons, and do what your intuition tells you is the best for you. Good luck, and I look forward to reading your best-selling book, some day before I grow too old to read!

I’m glad you had a good time. I always liked conferences; it’s nice to see that at least SOMEBODY is working on exciting stuff while we’re slogging in the trenches.

Trauma nonfiction? Now that’s an intriguing idea if it’s what it sounds like. (To me it sounds like disasters and the people who’ve lived them. Am I close?) That seems like it could be a challenging field, being faithful to the truth yet respectful to the victims.

It sounds like you’ve discovered the other benefit of conferences, too - networking. I remember you said you were interested in studying at Iowa. I didn’t realize Minnesota was on your short list too. At least they’re both at low altitudes. (Grin)

Dave