Monday, March 17, 2003
So now I’m not so sure about this Canada thing. I realised that while I was interested in the topic, I wasn’t that excited about it. And it doesn’t have the obvious hook of the first book. Without huge enthusiasm and a simple elevator pitch (in terms of route or history), I’m not convinced.
Plan B is forming in my mind: down the west coast of north America. From Vancouver to Tijuana, or some such. The angle would be ‘travels in your future’. The folks there are ahead of the rest of us in many things (good and bad), from environmental awareness to plastic surgery, from leisure pursuits to cultural imperialistic movies. Questions to ask would include:
– why does this place think it’s the future?
– what does that feel like on the ground?
– why do people move there, and do they get what they expected?
– if everyone’s so bent on self-improvement (physical, economic or spiritual), are they really any happier or better than the rest of us?
It’s a start, perhaps. I feel better about that ride, about the book of the ride (more Pico Iyer than Pete McCarthy), and about selling the idea.
Other news has seen me celebrating a birthday, being good at bowling, feeling ill and playing a part in the creation of a great engagement ring.
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