One of the things I like about writing on this blog is the fact that I have full editorial control. All the typos, run on sentences and fuzzy thinking? All mine! If I want to post a picture of my cat, I do it. Want to tell a rambling story that has little to do with bikes? I'm there.
But it can also be nice to write something for other folks. I get to work with someone who edits my work and says helpful things like "you know this doesn't quite work" or "what the hell is this?" By the way, this reminds me of a joke:
How many copy editors does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Do you mean install or have sex in? Please clarify.
Where was I? Oh yeah, rambling. That's where editors are nice. They cut out that crap. Editors are also nice when they work for organizations that have budgets and those organizations can actually do things like pay a writer for his words. That happened to me recently when Outside Online contacted me to come up with a list of 10 Good Books on Bicycles. I sent them a list and wrote some words, we did a little back and forth and the result is pretty good. And they're sending me a nice little check.
They made one teensy change in the title of the piece, one word that I differ with. I know my blog readers are smart. I think you'll catch the difference. I stand by my list, every book on it is very, very good. But there may be some better books out there. I'm sure someone else would come up with a different list.
Here's a link to the article:
THE 10 BEST BOOKS ON BICYCLES
I hope everybody out there is having a good day.
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
Nice work! But, ughhh, hate the way they chopped it up into a slideshow.
ReplyDeleteNo we just have to find the bicycles and hope the books are still there...
ReplyDeleteGood to see your internet fame has not gone unnoticed. Congrats.
What happened to "Just Ride"? This book brings all of us into the feel of the ride.
ReplyDeleteI can't express how pleased I am to see Paul Fournel's excellent "The Need for the Bike" on your list. I've plugged this little bike Tao te Ching endlessly on my blog; it's my guiding light, not just for riding, but for writing about riding. The man is Lao Tse on two wheels.
ReplyDeleteI'm such a tool. After reading through the descriptions, I bought three of the books on Amazon. I'd already read a few of them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the List. I also vote for "Just Ride". I think I understand why you wouldn't want to put it on a list for Outside Magazine. "The Need for the Bike" looks like my next book.
ReplyDeleteFournel's book is excellent. I would also make a pitch for The Rider by Tim Krabbe - in which a bike race occurs: 150K in 150 pages. Fun read.
ReplyDelete~K