Notes on the Writing of
FAST TIMES IN PALESTINE
Out of the Closet
Pamela Olson
January 3, 2008
Dear all,
I realized about a month ago that a lot of the stress
I've been carrying around with me for the past couple
of years has been due to the fact that I've been doing
everything except what I really wanted to do. So I've
finally committed myself to it to the point that I'm
willing to say it out loud: I'm writing a book.
It's about the times I've spent in the Middle East,
mostly in Palestine and Israel. All the stories are
true, and my goal is for the book to read like a
(non-fiction) novel rather than like a piece of
journalism.
I'll be in New York January 7-14, DC January 15-21,
and Austin January 22-29, showing an Australian friend
around and visiting friends. If any of you are
around, feel free to send me your number or give me a
call. I'm on 202 413 9570.
After that I'm heading back to my home town in
Oklahoma for two months of full-time writing.
Hopefully by April I'll have an agent and a working
draft, after which finals edits shouldn't be nearly as
time-consuming as preliminary edits, and securing a
publisher will be largely in the hands of my agent.
Most of the book is already written, it's just in a
million pieces that need to be strung together, filled
out, and edited. But it won't get done unless I
cloister myself for a while and bang it out. There's
not even a bar in my home town, so distractions
shouldn't be an issue.
After that, and depending on how it goes, I'm leaning
toward moving back to either California or Palestine.
I'm all ears if any of you have friends in the writing
or publishing world. It's one thing to write a book,
another to get it published, and yet another to get
the best possible deal. I'm doing research on my own,
but I would appreciate any advice from folks who've
been at this longer than I have.
Also, let me know if you might be willing to read
pieces of draft now and then for readability, clarity,
and entertainment value. I'd appreciate help to make
sure it doesn't get ranty, confusing, or dull, because
it's easy for me to get caught up in my own context
and lose sight of the sensibilities of my target
audience. My target audience is any people, but
particularly Americans, who have interest in Israel
and Palestine, the Middle East, the Arab and Muslim
worlds, foreign lands in general, or just good
storytelling. Anyone from Middle East experts to
people who aren't quite sure who is occupying whom.
All my best for 2008, and please don't be strangers.
I'll be locked away in an upstairs room this February
and March, so contact with the outside world will be
greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Pamela
