I think it should be your story rather than a sort of guide to the Netherlands. When I imagine reading a book from you about Life in NL, I imagine it to be one of those books that reads like you are sitting across a table from someone telling a story. Like reading your blog. Perhaps the odd comic thrown in for good measure… because a book from you wouldn’t be the same without at least a few illustrations.
One of the best books I’ve ever read about someone’s personal journey here in NL is called My Dam Life by Sean Condon. It wasn’t the usual thing about tulips and windmills, but his real experiences with living here. I thought it was hilarious and a great read. Maybe you might want to check it out as a bit of research :) http://www.amazon.com/Dam-Life-Condon-Travel-Literature/dp/0864427816
Re your book, it depends what you wanna get out of it, if it is broader coverage of your writing and humour, I say shamelessly adopt Bill Bryson’s style of funny anecdotes about a country and then we could all unite as one in laughing at the funny side of The Netherlands. If you go for the personal story it can be a bit ho hum and self righteous, hmmm let me think, in Simply French and Holy Cow, two different Aussie authors tell their stories about life in France and India and their point is that it’s different in the ‘foreign’ country, well der, of course it is. I also reckon it would be easier to write about the country and insert your funny anecdotes into that book. I haven’t come across all that much reading material about the Netherlands, I totally enjoyed Culture Shock which was only funny in weird OMG way (for the record no one has commented on my dirty windows yet). Anyway good luck, I’ve only just stumbled across your blog and the Dutch Integration Check List made me laugh.
Like Breigh, I’ll buy it too ;-) And I like the idea of it being like you telling a story as well! Step-by-step, but story-style, similar to what you do here on the blog.
I think that, going from your blog, you should write about your experiences in Holland from day 1. The strap-line ‘The story of an accident-prone Englishman’ is vital as your accidents are a large part of your blog.
From experience (and something that I didn’t do very well myself), expand each story as if writing for a book (which you are), rather than a blog post which is a habit that we fall into all so easily. Each blog post should be about 3 times longer wherein you throw in all sorts of extra bits of information that you ommitted from the original blog post.
I think that it would also be an extra charm if you threw in your own cartoons – plus some.
If you are going to make it autobiographical, you will find it a challenge to reach a decent word-count. But then there is an awful lot that happened during your hiatus that hasn’t been blogged to add, why you came over to Holland etc etc.
Feel free to email me if you want – I’ll see if I can get any help for you from Bloggers with Book Deals…
Breigh – Thank you :) I will included some cartoons for sure. I bought a copy of My Dam a while ago but I have to admit I have not got around to reading it yet but I will :)
LizzeeB – I think I want to get the same thing out of it as I like to do with this blog which is (hopefully) to write something entertaining and funny. thanks for the books suggestions (and advice) I’ll look for them next time I’m at the book store.
A Touch of Dutch – Thank you. And I’ll make sure it’s the same style as I write here :)
Zed – Thank you. That is a very good point about the tag line being a good way of describing what it should be (and what this blog is). Expanding the posts is also something I was thinking I would have to do but I still have to try that yet. First I was going to look at my post, figure out how to arrange them, see where the gaps are and then start to go from there.
Thanks for the offer of help as well :)
Kiki – Yay! Motivation is always good. Just ask the self help motivational pimp (long story everyone else).
I agree that is should be your story and your experiences. However, if you could revisit the idea of a military campaign to conquer the Dutch, I would really love to read that. Just saying…
Just stories at random. I would like to have pages in my hands instead of scrolling down. I would definitely buy it and recommend it. That one about the drug dealer is a master piece, hohoho !!
As your posts have been tagged from a reasonably early date, take the ones with the same tag and try and work them into a chapter. My blog hadn’t been tagged and so it took a long time tagging all the posts so as to fit them together. Put it this way, if you have 150 tags for accidents, then that could make up an entire chapter, although personally, I would spread yours out a bit.
Argh, this is too long for a comment – do you have a landline that you could email me? (If you want help, that is!)
I agree that your experiences would make a great colllection. Pick a selection from across all of the posts that can be arranged to span a single year; that gives a bit of narrative framework and assures that you get some from all seasons and events. I’ll buy one too!
Breigh Says:
I think it should be your story rather than a sort of guide to the Netherlands. When I imagine reading a book from you about Life in NL, I imagine it to be one of those books that reads like you are sitting across a table from someone telling a story. Like reading your blog. Perhaps the odd comic thrown in for good measure… because a book from you wouldn’t be the same without at least a few illustrations.
One of the best books I’ve ever read about someone’s personal journey here in NL is called My Dam Life by Sean Condon. It wasn’t the usual thing about tulips and windmills, but his real experiences with living here. I thought it was hilarious and a great read. Maybe you might want to check it out as a bit of research :)
http://www.amazon.com/Dam-Life-Condon-Travel-Literature/dp/0864427816
January 29, 2010 @ 12:38 pm
Breigh Says:
P.s. If you do write it, you have at least one guaranteed sale. I’d definitely buy it!
January 29, 2010 @ 12:39 pm
LizzeeB Says:
Re your book, it depends what you wanna get out of it, if it is broader coverage of your writing and humour, I say shamelessly adopt Bill Bryson’s style of funny anecdotes about a country and then we could all unite as one in laughing at the funny side of The Netherlands. If you go for the personal story it can be a bit ho hum and self righteous, hmmm let me think, in Simply French and Holy Cow, two different Aussie authors tell their stories about life in France and India and their point is that it’s different in the ‘foreign’ country, well der, of course it is. I also reckon it would be easier to write about the country and insert your funny anecdotes into that book. I haven’t come across all that much reading material about the Netherlands, I totally enjoyed Culture Shock which was only funny in weird OMG way (for the record no one has commented on my dirty windows yet). Anyway good luck, I’ve only just stumbled across your blog and the Dutch Integration Check List made me laugh.
January 29, 2010 @ 3:40 pm
A Touch of Dutch Says:
Like Breigh, I’ll buy it too ;-) And I like the idea of it being like you telling a story as well! Step-by-step, but story-style, similar to what you do here on the blog.
January 29, 2010 @ 4:07 pm
zed Says:
I think that, going from your blog, you should write about your experiences in Holland from day 1. The strap-line ‘The story of an accident-prone Englishman’ is vital as your accidents are a large part of your blog.
From experience (and something that I didn’t do very well myself), expand each story as if writing for a book (which you are), rather than a blog post which is a habit that we fall into all so easily. Each blog post should be about 3 times longer wherein you throw in all sorts of extra bits of information that you ommitted from the original blog post.
I think that it would also be an extra charm if you threw in your own cartoons – plus some.
If you are going to make it autobiographical, you will find it a challenge to reach a decent word-count. But then there is an awful lot that happened during your hiatus that hasn’t been blogged to add, why you came over to Holland etc etc.
Feel free to email me if you want – I’ll see if I can get any help for you from Bloggers with Book Deals…
January 30, 2010 @ 10:49 am
kiki Says:
BOOOOOK! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!!
(i know this isn’t helpful advice. I hope enthusiasm is motivating, though.)
February 1, 2010 @ 8:54 am
Invader Stu Says:
Breigh – Thank you :) I will included some cartoons for sure. I bought a copy of My Dam a while ago but I have to admit I have not got around to reading it yet but I will :)
LizzeeB – I think I want to get the same thing out of it as I like to do with this blog which is (hopefully) to write something entertaining and funny. thanks for the books suggestions (and advice) I’ll look for them next time I’m at the book store.
A Touch of Dutch – Thank you. And I’ll make sure it’s the same style as I write here :)
Zed – Thank you. That is a very good point about the tag line being a good way of describing what it should be (and what this blog is). Expanding the posts is also something I was thinking I would have to do but I still have to try that yet. First I was going to look at my post, figure out how to arrange them, see where the gaps are and then start to go from there.
Thanks for the offer of help as well :)
Kiki – Yay! Motivation is always good. Just ask the self help motivational pimp (long story everyone else).
February 1, 2010 @ 10:12 am
Andy D Says:
I agree that is should be your story and your experiences. However, if you could revisit the idea of a military campaign to conquer the Dutch, I would really love to read that. Just saying…
February 1, 2010 @ 10:41 am
Anita Says:
Just stories at random. I would like to have pages in my hands instead of scrolling down. I would definitely buy it and recommend it. That one about the drug dealer is a master piece, hohoho !!
February 1, 2010 @ 3:23 pm
zed Says:
As your posts have been tagged from a reasonably early date, take the ones with the same tag and try and work them into a chapter. My blog hadn’t been tagged and so it took a long time tagging all the posts so as to fit them together. Put it this way, if you have 150 tags for accidents, then that could make up an entire chapter, although personally, I would spread yours out a bit.
Argh, this is too long for a comment – do you have a landline that you could email me? (If you want help, that is!)
February 1, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
Invader Stu Says:
Andy D – Don’t tell anyone one but this is all a cover until I can take the country over
Anita – There goes my plan to have a book with a scroll wheel
zed – Sure. I’ll email it to you. No heavy breathing calls though ok?!
February 3, 2010 @ 3:46 pm
Anneke Says:
“Don’t tell anyone one but this is all a cover until I can take the country over”
I KNEW it! Hah! Blew your cover now, didn’t ya?
February 4, 2010 @ 1:02 am
Invader Stu Says:
I like to call it hiding in plan sight :p
February 4, 2010 @ 10:36 am
Dave Hampton Says:
I agree that your experiences would make a great colllection. Pick a selection from across all of the posts that can be arranged to span a single year; that gives a bit of narrative framework and assures that you get some from all seasons and events. I’ll buy one too!
March 11, 2010 @ 2:18 pm