Hacking out -- The journey contemplated -- Onto the blue roads -- Following a Blackfeet pencil -- The pretzel versus the book -- A guy in a metal suicide-box -- A piece of the spectrum -- A burglar and a surgeon -- The secret society begins to emerge -- The wheel and the plaque -- An appendix of sorts.
Summary:
The story behind the writing of the best-selling Blue Highways is as fascinating as the epic trip itself. More than thirty years after his 14,000-mile, 38-state journey, William Least Heat-Moon reflects on the four years he spent capturing the lessons of the road trip on paper--the stops and starts in his composition process, the numerous drafts and painstaking revisions, the depressing string of rejections by publishers, the strains on his personal relationships, and many other aspects of the toil that went into writing his first book. Along the way, he traces the hard lessons learned and offers guidance to aspiring and experienced writers alike.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.