Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group I feel the need to tell the story....

Sorry, didn't mean to distract you from your project, it's obviously important and important to you, please don't let that happen-

Oh Dow, you didn't distract me from anything, I enjoy your upbeat disposition....and like you said, some of the greatest projects come from the most unlikely connections!

Wow...... I knew it had been bad, but that is just terrible. Definately sounds like something that needs to be told.

A couple of ideas that might help. A wee dictaphone you can carry around so when you do think of something, or as you're planning out a section you can record it rather than having to write it down. The other is voice recognition software. If typing is not your forte and sitting for a long time in front of the computer would be a challenge, this would be perfect. Especially if you can use it in conjunction with the dictaphone. Now, I did a quick google search came across this link (not sure how old it is though).
http://www.consumersearch.com/voice-recognition-software
If you've got Vista on your computer it looks like it has some software included. At another link it looks like the 'Dragon' software has a newer version out, it sounds like you need to have a reasonably high spec computer to run this. The prohibiting factor here may be cost...

Good luck with your project.

I am not a writer. But the way you have just described it, to me, sounds like you already have an outline. First with the search dogs then the personal stories you heard and seen. Then the theft from the people who need it most. I hope this helps. Maybe you could combine the corruption with the personal stories.

The dictaphone is a brilliant idea!
As for the voice recognition, IMHO it's just not there yet. I bought the professional one 6 months ago to help me keep going, but it becomes a distraction. You end up having to keep an eye on what is being entered, then have to mess around to go and correct words that it misses/gets totally wrong.
All the best,
James

Hi Michelle,
My suggestion would be to concentrate on the corruption. Just tell the story as it is (as you have described above), with the corruption running through the middle of it, acting like the backbone. Sorry, I keep bringing back to AS terms
The big issue may be the litigation issues. Not sure how the Publisher would react to that.
James

Hi Michelle...My brother is a publisher of soft back books. You can print just a few copies and sell them on Amazon. Keep him in mind when your completed.....charles

Michelle, go for it. You are passionate about this and have an intimate knowledge of the devastation and rampant corruption. We see stuff in the news, and it moves us, but you have a unique viewpoint and a personal one.

I've been writing a book for the last four years. At some point you just have to get it out, so to speak. You have an outline already, thank goodness. Now, write your story, in your own words exactly as you feel it. You'll find that you'll go back over it and over it, cleaning it up, fixing grammar and spelling, figuring out where you need more info, or where you have to substantiate what you've written. I've been doing my version of editing and clean-up for a few years, now I'm pinning down the research. I began a second document in which I listed all the info I needed to track down, as I have a ton of endnotes. As I found it, I cut and pasted the information into the research document to be rewritten in my own words, or used verbatim with a reference cited. When I'm happy with that, then I cut and paste it into the main document. It truly is nice to cross off each item on the list (I'm down to three or four now that still need to be clarified).

As it gets to the point where you have a section pretty much written, find someone to read it for you, as then you'll find out where you might need more info, or if a portion needs to be cleaned up more or rewritten for clarity.

Also, never put a portion of it on the internet for people to read. It seems many publishers consider this a form of publishing and it might impact their willingness to publish your work. And check out the Writer's Digest website. You may get some very good suggestions there. That's where I learned about not putting anything like this on the internet.

Good luck with it!

Warm hugs,

Great ideas kurumi!! Thanks....