"Round and Round" - Research Pattern

I'm finally starting to edit chapter nine, which covers the Lovesexy era. I have a specific process that I follow each time I work on a chapter. One particular step involves consulting the same set of "sources." They include:

Publications: I focus on a few magazines and newspapers that consistently covered Prince's career. I look through all of the relevant articles that were published during the chapter's time period.

Interviews: I go back through the transcriptions of relevant interviews that I've done.

Notes: I have a really long, scary document full of notes that I take. For example, when I'm working on a chapter, I may have a thought that I'd like to explore later in the book. So, I write it down and I make sure I review my notes periodically.

Previous Drafts: I started this project back during my undergraduate studies, so I have several old drafts of the book. I like to look back at them for things to include in this new draft.

Previous Biographies: I have a few go-to Prince biographies that I consult to help me with my book. I often use them as a base, and then add my own research because my angle is very different.

Music and Performances: I always analyze Prince's relevant lyrics, videos and concerts.

Liner Notes: I study the liner notes in the relevant album.

Award Shows: I pay attention to speeches that Prince has given at relevant award shows.

Fan Magazines: This is actually a new "source." There were several Prince fan magazines that popped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I intend to start reading them after I finish chapter nine.

Mr. "Tambourine" Man - Bob Dylan's Spiritual Journey

I've talked a lot about my research on the spiritual journeys of other popular artists. Several months ago, I singled out D'angelo. Lately, I've been thinking about Bob Dylan.

View image | gettyimages.com

Like Prince, Dylan had a "born again" period. He released two Christian albums, embarked on a Gospel tour and refused to sing his previous material.

I read Dylan's autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One, but it didn't contain any commentary on the singer's religious journey. So, I have some of the same questions people ask about Prince:

Was his "spiritual awakening" real?

Why did he eventually go back to performing his previous work?

Did he truly have an internal struggle between the sacred and the secular, and how long did it last? Does he still grapple with this today?

I think I'll reach out to Bob Dylan fans on Twitter and see what they say. In the meantime...


Do you think Dylan's Christian songs were genuine?

"Take a Picture, Sweetie!" - Odds and Ends from the Past Week

It's been a long time since I've done one of these entries. Here are some relevant pictures from the past week...

These are my preferred teas when I'm writing.

As you know, I'm obsessed with music biographies. I'm currently reading this one in my free time (which is usually at the hair salon). I like it so far!

My file cabinet is overflowing, so I had to stuff some more Prince-related material into this box. I'll have to do some organizing in the next couple of weeks.

"Upload" - Computer and Web Issues

This is going to be a quick blog entry. I just got home from Zumba class and I have a ton of work to do. Sometimes I like to write about the more technical aspects of my project (the computer crash of 2012 and the site remodel come to mind). Here are three things that I want to accomplish in the next year:

1) I need to get a new computer. My old Toshiba is running so slow and I can't handle it. I got the computer from a repair shop in Brooklyn when I lived there years ago. Ah, memories.

2) Confession: I've been blogging for almost five years and I have not developed an SEO strategy. It's really sad. I need to make that happen. I plan to take an SEO class on lynda.com. I also need to start generating revenue through ads.

3) I designed this beautiful blog myself (it also lives on my Wordpress site), but I need to hire a web developer to take it to the next level.

Does anyone have any recommendations for laptops? I'm still a PC girl. 

"Questionnaire" - Thesis Defense Preparation

To prepare for my thesis defense, I wrote out a list of questions and answers about my book. Below is a snippet from my notes. Perhaps it will provide some more insight into my project.

Why did you choose this topic?

I've always loved reading artist biographies, and I've wanted to be a music journalist for a very long time. I became a Prince fan in high school, and his spiritual music really intrigued me. I used my undergraduate biography class as an opportunity to write about his spiritual journey using research by other scholars. In graduate school, I conducted my own interviews, and completed a closer study of his music.

What was your biggest challenge?

Getting interviews was especially challenging. I had to deal with non-disclosure agreements, and it took a really long time to track some people down (for example, I waited a year to talk to Jill Jones). I’m glad that I didn’t give up. I learned that you just have to keep trying periodically.

Describe your interviewing process.

I created a list of sources by using previous biographies, liner notes, film credits and recommendations from other sources. I wrote down my questions before I contacted each source just in case they were ready to talk on the spot. I kept most interviews to an hour or less unless they wanted to talk longer. Most interviews were done over the phone. I tried to transcribe interviews as soon as I finished them. I have a running spreadsheet of all of my sources with contact information.

Describe your writing process.

After I wrote about Prince's childhood, I approached each chapter in the same manner. First, I analyzed his music, videos, and movies (if applicable). Then, I shared what journalists and his audience thought of his music, videos and movies (if applicable). Next, I analyzed his tour/performances, and shared what journalists and his audience thought about them. Afterwards, I wrote about what was happening in his life. Finally, I summarized the chapter and wrote about what was coming up in the following chapter.

If you have any other questions, please ask them in the comments below!

"Bring to Life a Vision" - Adding to the Book

Last week, I mentioned that my thesis committee reviewed the first nine chapters of my book. Yesterday, I went through their edits and suggestions and thought about what I would keep in the final version.

A lot of the professors' points were really interesting. Because I am so close to the book, there are a lot of things I didn't consider. I plan to move on to chapter ten as soon as possible, but I might go back and address these questions once I finish the book:

1) What other artists, if any, had similarly risqué album covers during the 1980s?  Would it help to point to some of these to support how Prince's album covers were over-the-top even compared to peers/other rock stars?

2) Is it typical to have so many different bands work with a solo artist over the years?

3) As you discuss the release of different albums, and often refer to Prince's changes in different decades, would it be hard to tell us what is going on in the world for historical context?  

4) Was there more openness about men having feminine sides? Or can you point to the fact that Prince was ahead of his time here, and that it wouldn't be until later that the press and others would talk about these gender issues more openly?

I'm getting back in the habit of designating certain days of the week to work on my book. I'm looking forward to doing some more revising on Thursday.

"Teacher, Teacher, What You Say?" - Graduation!

I'm back! I forced myself to start blogging again, and I have good news: I'm graduating! I presented my nine chapters (approximately 300 pages) to my thesis committee at Ohio University back in February. I have been approved to receive my master's degree in journalism!

I should receive my diploma in the mail sometime this summer. I don't plan to walk in the ceremony; I live a few hours away and I'll just be happy to finally have my "piece of paper."

What's next? I have a lot more writing to do before I start sending query letters to agents and publishers. I've finished covering Prince's life from 1958 to 1988. I'd like to continue working until I reach 2004.

I would love to finish the book by December 2015, but deadlines are always changing (at least mine, anyway). Here are the tasks that I hope to complete during the next few weeks:

1) I'm going to organize the many drafts of the book, and determine which one I want to use going forward. I have made a lot of changes to meet the standards of my thesis committee. I probably won't keep all of those changes in the final version.

2) I'm going to revisit my "Interviews" spreadsheet. I need to identify the sources I'd like to pursue before I begin writing chapter ten.

3) I'm going to rewrite the end of chapter nine so that it is more of a transition to chapter ten rather than a conclusion for the book.

4) I'm going to (finally) start researching the Batman era.

My goal is to be back next week!