I finally decided to commit to doing a Cornell Woolrich biography and have a publisher. Just a small one so I don't know how much publicity we can get, but I will do my best. I have my title, I have my table of contents and I have written all of 400 words today! A start. Basically a page plus. But starting is the most important thing.
I feel like I'm peculiarly qualified to do this biography and that, after four decades, a new one is needed. Francis Nevins' 1988 bio of Woolrich will always be a tremendously important source, but a new, 21st century approach is way overdue. I have done a lot of new research and I think I can provide a somewhat different interpretive take. My book will also be a shorter, more straightforward, narrative-friendly book, one which will keep Cornell's life front and center.
Hope to finish this year and have out in 2027, a little shy of Cornell's 125th birthday!
Been playing catch-up on (and thoroughly enjoying) all your recent Woolrich posts, and this is wonderful news! Well-deserved, after all this time, to have another biography out there, and I can think of no better person to write it. Major congrats, even if it's just a small publisher, and very much looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, I really appreciate what you've written too and I am sure I'll be quoting you. I got 1400 words words done today and I am quite pleased with it. Always great to nail the opening. I have every intention that this book will be under 100,000 words, maybe closer to 80,000 but we will see. It's going to be a lot more thematically concentrated than Nevins' encyclopedic book. No spoilers!
DeleteCongratulations! I wish you the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm past 3800 words now, got through the first of three sections of the first chapter. There will be six chapters. I'm actually aiming at a short book of about 200 pages, but we will see. Typically my books of this sort run more to 350. So far it's writing like a dream.
DeleteAdding my congratulations! I know you've written so much about him over the years, I feel like I know him...I know you'll do a well-written and thoughtful book. You're judicious with the facts and your speculations are always backed up with insight and intelligence.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I hope you know him even better after this book. Writing has been going well.
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