Man, I hate the book proposal stage. It’s so mushy! My writer friend in the woods with me today is in the final throes of her manuscript, and I have manuscript envy over here.

Thanks for those comments on my previous post (anniegirl, Renee) — you gave me a push to give the outline thing a try today. And I have to say, it seemed far less anxiety inducing to work on an outline than it did to face a blank screen and start pushing words around on the page. Which is what I generally do, and which ends up taking me AGES.

As for my next steps, I like Renee’s approach, which she describes as follows:

The key thing about that outline for me is that I use the outline to make a VERY detailed To-Do list. That is the list that I then work from in completing the work — items on it might be as difficult/conceptual as “Restructure introduction to add in the literature on social movements….” or as simple as “Add citation to McClurg and Mueller…”

At the end of any work period, I decide on two or three things on the to-do list that I will work on the next day/work period — so I can percolate on the conceptual tasks I’ve set for myself, and then I warm up on the work by doing the easier/simpler tasks.

I’m gonna give it a try. Anyone got an answer to Renee’s question (see comments, previous post), about deviating from the outline once you’ve got it? How strictly do you outliners out there hold yourselves to it? Inquiring minds wanna know 🙂

I’ve tucked myself away at a fellow writer’s house in the woods for the next two days to re-jumpstart myself on my current book proposal, which I’ve been away from these past few months. So in addition to some guest posts, I myself will be writing over here about, well, writing.

Since I’m all about beginnings this morning, thought I’d share this quip from James B. Stewart’s Follow the Story, which I’m reading upon recommendation of my authors group (aka the Invisible Institute):

“The key to a successful lead [beginning] is quite simple: it must attract and hold readers by re-creating in their minds the same curiosity that drove you to undertake the story in the first place.”

And here’s Stewart’s pitch for outlining:

“I have been amazed to discover how much time I have saved, and how much anxiety I have avoided, by having a clear structure in mind, if not on paper.”

And I have been amazed to discover how difficult it is to get myself to outline. I’m always curious to hear about other people’s processes. Tell me, dear GWP readers–many of whom I know are also writers–do you outline? Does it work for you? Tips?!

So I’ve been spending part of this week teaching a blogging workshop for girls over at Writopia Lab. The posts these girls are writing are SO GOOD that I’m posting them here on GWP. Stay tuned for some thoughts from the next generation of thinkers and writers. They will knock your socks off. They are definitely knocking mine.

(cool logo design by Marco Siegel-Acevedo!)

A few quick hits for ya’ll this morning:

Sisters, This Is an Election We Can’t Sit Out, says the Rev. Valda Combs in a piece for Women’s eNews, urging Hillary supporters, who have reason to be bitter about the primary, have to pull it together. The most vulnerable women in our society need our unity too much.

The Center for New Words launches a new election season project, This Is What Women Want!

And Girls, Incorporated launches the Dear World public education campaign in which girls express their daily realities, hopes, fears, and dreams in 30- and 60-second television spots and a website.

image cred

As an addendum to the post I wrote about the new Catalyst study earlier this week just came in from GWP’s resident sociologist, Virginia Rutter:

Related research: In “Working for the Woman? Female Managers and the Gender Wage Gap” (October 07 issue of the American Sociological Review), Philip Cohen and Matt Huffman demonstrate that the greater representation of women in management jobs narrows the wage gap among non-management workers. When ladies are boss, all the ladies do better. But for it to really make a difference, women need to be in the higher levels of management. In fact, the authors reference the “title inflation” phenomenon: they saw evidence of a concentration of women in lower management–and that concentration doesn’t give the workers much relief in terms of the gender wage gap. Reason I like this story–and the one on board membership here–is that it gives us concrete evidence for the glass ceiling, and why breaking through matters.

And btw, for Philip Cohen’s latest, check out his post last month at HuffPo (“Women May Be Losing Jobs Too, But They’re Different Jobs”) in response to the NYTimes piece on how hard economic times are affecting women’s employment rates. -GWP

Sandra Tsing Loh’s new book, Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting! comes out this month and I give her brilliant f&#%g credit for the subtitle. For a taste of Loh, see her latest, “I Choose My Choice!” in The Atlantic. (Thanks, Heather, for the heads up!)

I’m still catching up on things that were released while I was away mooning over honey. And here’s one I particularly wanted to share, as it’s from one of my favorite orgs, Catalyst.

According to a new study released on July 23, Advancing Women Leaders: The Connection Between Women Board Directors and Women Corporate Officers, the more women on the board, the more women higher ups. To wit:

-Companies with 30 percent women board directors in 2001 had, on average, 45 percent more women corporate officers by 2006, compared to companies with no women board members.

-Companies with the highest percentages of women board directors in 2001 had, on average, 33 percent more corporate officers in 2006 than companies with the lowest percentages.

-Companies with two or more women members on a company’s board in 2001 had 28 percent more women corporate officers by 2006 than companies with one woman board member in 2001.

Seems rather significant in this era when folks continue to scratch their heads and ask “where are the women in senior management?” The study drew on data from the 359 companies that were in the Fortune 500 during the years under investigation, 2000, 2001, and 2006. For more on the results, click here.

Oh, how men take pride in their sperm.

As a fertility specialist cum (hey no pun – it’s Latin) interview subject recently told me, often when a man learns that his sperm are plentiful, mobile, and strong, he’ll proclaim right then and there: “My guys are good! My guys are good!” Meanwhile, awaiting her diagnosis, his partner will slowly retreat back in her chair. And get this: even in an era when severe male factor infertility is one of the diagnoses most easy to treat, some guys who go in with their partners for fertility workups refuse to go through with the semen analysis because they’re too afraid of the results. For more on all this, of course, check out Sperm Counts: Overcome [pun intended] by Man’s Most Precious Fluid by sociology and women’s studies prof Lisa Jean Moore, a book I blogged about here a while back.

So with all that as a prelude, I thought I’d start out the week by karmically balancing the universe. Color me 1970s, but I firmly believe that more women should greet the news that their ovaries are working with “My Girls Are Good!” Or something like that. “Girls” doesn’t quite cut it. Any one out there got an alternative expression for ovum pride? I’m taking suggestions.

I’m thrilled to announce that a report I took the lead on for the Women’s Media Center, the White House Project, and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, will be released and distributed at the DNC in Denver on August 25. The report, “Bias, Punditry, and the Press: Where Do We Go From Here,” includes recommendations for the media and consumers of media and will be available for download after its official release.

Additional happenings of interest going on at the DNC, all conveyed via Carol Jenkins (thanks, Carol, for the heads ups!):

-On August 25, there will be a reprise of the WMC/WHP/MIJE forum, From Soundbites to Solutions: Bias, Punditry and the Press in the 2008 Election, on which the report is based. This time the panelists will be Michel Martin of NPR, Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, Patricia Williams of The Nation, Rebecca Traister of Salon, Jamal Simmons of CNN, and María Teresa Petersen of Voto Latino, among others. Video clips from the original forum, which took place at The Paley Center, can be accessed from the WMC website.

-On Tuesday, August 26, Senator Hillary Clinton will address the delegates. That is the 88th anniversary of the day the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution became law, which gave women the right to vote in 1920. Senator Barack Obama accepts the nomination on Thursday, August 28th, before a public audience of 75,000 people. That is the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

-On Wednesday, August 27, the WMC is hosting a panel with Women’s eNews at which six leading congresswomen (Loretta Sanchez-CA, Rosa DeLauro-CT, Carolyn Maloney-NY, Gwen Moore-WI, Lois Capps-CA confirmed so far) will discuss WEN’s The Memo– a status report of six areas that the candidates and delegates must address. The congresswomen will address the media’s handling of women and the economy, immigration, women in the military, international issues, war and peace, and health. Do check out my fellow PWVer Pramila Jayapal’s Election Dispatch on Immigration and Jennifer Hogg’s Election Dispatch on Women in the Military.

-And finally, this year, the convention is chaired by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the highest ranking woman elected official in the country, co-chaired by Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. The CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee is Leah D. Daughtry.

So the deadline has been extended for the search for a program director at the Bitch headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

They’re looking for “someone bright, with a deep talent and love for analyzing media/pop culture from a perspective rooted in social/economic justice, who’s passionate about both print publishing and newer (to us, at least) forms like online, audio, and video, someone excited about helping shape the future of the work we do at Bitch (and who recognizes Bitch’s potential), someone committed to DIY/grassroots operating, who understands Bitch’s role as both critiquing what’s crappy and praising what’s good, who’s as excited about Bitch as a multimedia organization as Bitch as a magazine.”

Sound like anyone you know?

Some of the job duties associated with this position:
– Oversee the editorial and production process for the magazine
– Edit articles and help shape editorial tone and scope of magazine
– Manage writer’s agreements and payment for each issue
– Outreach, fundraising, and event planning
– Oversee editorial internship program

For more info, contact publishing@b-word.org. Deadline for apps is now August 15.