by Uncle Alan
Whether you use your own blog, or post to Facebook, Twitter or some other social media platform, many of us communicate regularly online. I’ve pointed out before you can take these posts, gather them up, and easily put together a book. Twenty-six year old author, Shawn Michael Severud’s done just that.
Severud has just released perdida: essays to be read while intoxicated, a collection of Jack Keroujac-esque essays the author admits are collected directly from his own blog posts on a broad variety of subjects, exactly as they were originally posted: devoid of capitalization of any words.
"perdida: essays to be read while intoxicated” is a collection of Jack Keroujac-esque essays the author admits are collected directly from his own blog posts.
“If someone is posting on their blog or updating their Facebook status, a lot of the time, they aren’t capitalizing words and are typically using little or no punctuation,” Severud said. “They know that the Internet is more of an informal setting, so they don’t bother with it. Why waste the time when you can refresh your Facebook page every twenty seconds looking for new messages and comments?”
I’m not sure how well this approach worked out – I haven’t read the book. Severud gives, a “reading” in a video press release he released that I’ve included here. To me, it’s…well…over-written a bit.
That’s just my opinion. You be the judge.
The real problem could be I was sober when I heard it. According to Severud, the subtitle of the book came about because most of what he wrote was written while intoxicated – and he feels it’s important the reader should also be intoxicated, to fully appreciate it.
“Let’s just say I think too much,” Severud said. “I write better when I think less and alcohol makes that happen, so I just thought if I wrote them that way, maybe they would be more enjoyable to read that way as well.”
I’m not usually too interested in reading when I’m intoxicated, but it kind of makes sense. It also ties into the book’s title, “Perdida”, which, in Spanish, means “lost.” According to Severud, the emotions expressed reflect an ode to being young. Elation and grief can be found not only in neighboring essays, but in neighboring sentences. It’s most definitely a glimpse into the life of a twenty-something millennial including essays about the growing pains of being a twenty-something: being in love, dealing with depression, as well as thoughts on religion, life and death, and a favorite Chinese food restaurant.
Who knows what will sell in today’s book market? The knowledge that this is a collection of essays that were all blog posts at one time makes perdida interesting, even if the subject matter doesn’t appeal to you. It’s an example of what you can do if you post often and post from your heart – whether you’re intentionally building a book or simply “letting it out” and clearing your head. Intoxicated or stone cold sober.
With all the simple ways there are to publish today, the book could just wind up a success. I think it’s a sign you might want to check your old blog now – there might be something worth publishing in a book there!
