Update: looks like we have a taker and a backup. Thanks!
For a while there we had a third COAL series running on Wednesdays, and I never solicited for a replacement, until now, that is. Coal may be dirty, nasty stuff and hard to mine, but writing a COAL series is one of those unique opportunities to document the cars in your life, to be saved in perpetuity here at CC. Your grandkids will read it some day!
Here’s the drill:
Email me at curbsideclassic(at)gmail.com a list of your cars, along with your readiness to do a weekly series. It doesn’t have to start instantly, but within a couple of weeks or so. Please, no insecurities about your writing skills; just plain simple English is good enough.
Off Topic: I’ve worked under my house in the crawl space and it’s uncomfortable. The only way it could be worse is if I had to pick at coal for a living.
I’ve worked under my house AND written a COAL. I would highly recommend the latter.
He may be searching for a spot to set a charge. Now thats scary.
Like Jeff Sun, I Worked in a crawl space (with fiberglass insulation).
I made the mistake of taking off my shirt because it was so hot and then lying down on a sheet of fiberglass pink side up. NOT RECOMMENDED.
Doing a COAL IS RECOMMENDED; it is a good way to refresh long or short term fading memories and get a clearer mental and physical picture of one’s life (to date).
It’s also a chance to recall and describe to fellow CC readers the people who played important parts in your life. If these people are still around they’ll enjoy reading your work. If not, it’s a chance for you to honor them and their importance to you and others.
My advice is to do the first draft long before Paul is expecting it in an offline mode, e.g., in a MS-Word editor or email software (or other) with which you are comfortable and mark spots where photos would be appropriate.
Write too much at first, then edit out unneeded words, sentences, paragraphs. Feel free to move things around if it makes sense to you.
Collect and/or scan photos separately from the text, use online photos if you need, make sure they are big enough, load them into Paul’s system, then copy and paste the draft text into CC, put the photos where they belong, do a review or two, and then ask Paul to take a look.
Paul’s editing input is very valuable.
The first chapter is the hardest; each subsequent chapter is easier than the prior one (just like any other effort).
And when the last chapter is published you’ll have a feeling like when you completed the last final exam of a semester, a sense of accomplishment and freedom from deadlines.
For those with hesitation, do it! A really rewarding experience, for sure.
He may be searching for a spot to set a charge. Now thats scary.
May I mention that my my COAL series was fairly well received by CC readers, even though I’m not from North America or Europe? So my experience tells: diversity is welcomed at CC.
What a kind invite. Oh, you really weren’t referring to me. No matter. I’d love to, I enjoy writing about cars, it’s said (very correctly) that some people love to hear themselves talk, I like to see myself write. But with some period knowledge, but not that much, really, I don’t have the chops to do it. Let alone one per week, man, that’s almost like a job, a real job, and I’m retired, I really don’t want to get into that sort of thing creeping back into my life.
Sarcasm aside, tip of my hat to he/she/they who do accept the challenge. It will probably be more work than expected, but rewarding. And I look forward to reading the results.
Having owned well over 200 cars, while being a part-time-amateur vintage/collectible car dealer for 40 years, at 72 it’d take me what’s left of my life!
I know it’s cool to have jargon nobody else understands and lets the insiders snicker under their breath, but might you just occasionally posting an explanation of C.O.A.L. for the unelected plebians?