You will need to join slidshare (it's free!) in order to view it. (I tried numerous times to embed into the post, but for some reason that version would not sync properly.)
The copy:
Professional athletes typically reach peak performance in their mid- to late-20s, some into their 30s. Most are retired by the time they’re 40. As for everybody else, most, people give up competitive sports after high school or college. Some are content to just watch from the sidelines. They can grow older and more sedentary in the process. And then there are those who seem to defy the passages of time … They are sprinters, marathoners and ultramarathoners, ironmen and even iron nuns. They are in the water training to set new records, on the courts and the fields, and in the gyms. Bodies buffed, and flexed and pretty flexible. Some even get to live to be 105. This is a book about their inspiring journey – their physical struggles and amazing accomplishments. Some of these older athletes have always been active, while others waited until later in life. Each has a story to tell. By staying active and competing in sports, they are keeping their bodies firm and fit, their minds sharp and lucid. And they’re collecting a few accolades along the way. All are waging a quiet revolution. And many more are expected to join in, as baby boomers – 76 million strong – challenge the concept of aging. We have so much to learn from them because they are staying in the game.
And here it is with syncing off:
And here it is with syncing off:
Sadie-
ReplyDeleteNot sure if the syncing worked for me but overall a well-paced presentation. I went to the link but did not sign up. I got time to think and absorb your material. The only problem was that I was not completely sold on it. I needed convincing why I should put money into this book - maybe a little more coaxing from you. I really like your photo selections, they illustrate your ideas and proposal quite well.
Thanks for your comment, Drake. As you can see I had a lot of problems getting the audio to sync with the slides. I got it working perfectly, and then it stopped working. Don't know what the problem was.
ReplyDeleteI like all of the pitches under your Ideas post and the two longer elevator pitches. As you point out though, nothing is fleshed out enough yet. Most of the ideas come across as typical promotional extensions of the book. A podcast, an organization, even the book need to proceed from a thesis and I’m not sure you have one yet.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your presentation, but it is looking for an idea. Your blog and the idea behind it is more of a concept then your presentation. It has a name. Your blog About Page has all kinds of interesting conjecture in it. Scientists don’t have an answer yet you say? You have your own definition for a third step?
I’m a big fan of this book: http://www.newnewjournalism.com/ It interviews a lot of my favorite journalists –Orlean, Weschler– and most of them are very candid about going into a story with an open mind instead of a concept. Their goal is something they discover along the way. It is a difficult talent to define, but it is why they work at the level they do.
Your presentation doesn’t start with a thesis. It is a list really, of the types of people you want to find a thesis within.
What you have is a fine proposal for you, but I don’t think it’s a book proposal yet. In our present situation, I’m not sure you will get an advance based on a first chapter that is also a list. Then again, Orlean and Weschler et al are pretty clear about telling their editors they have a thesis when they don’t.
You need to start interviewing. I am reminded of that first piece, maybe your sample, that you posted. I loved it, but I wanted to hear more of the “why 4am” for these older runners?
What is this book about? Aging? Injury? Youth? D) All of the above?
You have the story and people you want to focus on. You have some idea of a concept, but the real thesis is just going to hit you in the middle of one of these interviews. Maybe it is your third step concept, but you have to flesh it out more and put some foundations underneath it. You will interview scientists and doctors too right?
You know by now when you are ready to sit down and write. Are you yet? Is the trauma of this recovery ready to come out? Or do you want to go find the answers in others as well as yourself?
The online world can only help you. A podcast, or a Twitter feed, or Facebook page are forms of research, conversation, unexpected connection. Embrace them during the process as much as you will embrace them as promotional tools later on. Build that platform as the agents say. And keep your mind’s eye out for that great algorithm that could be an app too.
You mentioned apps in your midterm. You found many of your ideas already existed, but there is another way to think about this. Remember that MySpace had the entire youth culture signed up, but then lost them all to Facebook. Software applications’ successes are not just about the ideas, but their executions as well.
Nice work.