I originally meant to post this on Christmas Day 2025, but my blog ran into some technical problems that took some time to resolve. What was Christmas like in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam)? Two years ago, I briefly mentioned my mother’s memories of Christmas celebrations in Saigon in the early 1970s. […]
CHRISTMAS IN NGÔ ĐÌNH DIỆM’S REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM Read More »
I’ve always been fascinated by the maps in academic books, but I never gave much thought to where they came from or who drew them until I wrote my first book. What I discovered was that every map in my book would require a mini-research project of its own. This post is the last one
6. ADVENTURES OF A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR: THE JOYS AND HEADACHES OF SEARCHING FOR MAPS Read More »
Whatever one’s position is on the Vietnam War, I think just about everyone would agree that the conflict remains a major topic of debate to this day. Of course, wars by their very nature tend to generate controversy, but at least for Americans and Vietnamese, this particular conflict is arguably more contentious than just about
I love looking at the photos in academic books, but I never had any idea how much work it was for authors to include them. I vaguely assumed that authors plucked these photos out of some great historical repository and then copied and pasted them into their manuscript as if they were a grad student
5. ADVENTURES OF A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR: HOW MUCH IS THAT HISTORICAL PHOTO IN THE WINDOW? Read More »
As I mentioned elsewhere, my first book was not based on the dissertation, and I actually researched and wrote it from scratch while on the tenure track. The difficulty of such a task forced me to follow a punishing writing routine and develop an effective writing process, as described in previous posts. But neither of
4. ADVENTURES OF A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR: MY WRITING STRATEGIES Read More »
“Writing is a process.” That was the mantra that was drilled into my head by countless teachers since about fifth or sixth grade. Yet it wasn’t until I wrote my first book that I developed a thoughtful, individualized writing process that worked for me. So in this post, I wanted to share my writing process,
3. ADVENTURES OF A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR: THE WRITING PROCESS Read More »
A ghost from Christmas past! That was my first thought upon laying eyes on the document. I was visiting Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, and I happened on a memo that recounted a dramatic confrontation at the Hanoi cathdral, North Vietnam, on Christmas Eve over sixty years ago. Let me back up a little
A GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST FROM HANOI, 1958 Read More »
The most common advice that first time authors receive is that they should develop a writing routine. There’s a great deal of good suggestions on the internet about writing routines for academic authors. Authors are encouraged to write every day at least for an hour and more when possible, but they should stop writing after
2. ADVENTURES OF A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR: THE WRITING ROUTINE Read More »
Publishing a book is a goal of many early-career scholars and mandatory for junior faculty on the tenure-track at research universities. Just like with applications, there is a great deal of advice on the internet about transforming the dissertation into a book. But the process of the first book still felt mysterious to me. I
1. ADVENTURES OF A FIRST TIME AUTHOR: A SAMPLE BOOK PROPOSAL Read More »
Nguyễn Mộng Giác’s One-Way Street (Đường một chiều, 1974) is an absolute page-turner. Set in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), the novel starts with the shocking murder of Thúy while her husband Major Lộc is away fighting in the Central Highlands as part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. There’s