October 25, 2005

NaNoteWriMo

by PG

A. Rickey bemoans the busyness that prevents him from joining in National Novel Writing Month. I once meant to do NaNoWriMo to get a novella finished, but never quite got going -- lack of external pressures.

That won't be a problem with the writing project I have planned for November, though. Yes, it's that time of year for 2Ls across the nation, as we find something worth writing about that hasn't already been written about. As we pick a subject that interests us and also fits neatly into one of our seminar paper requirements. As we look for a professor who has the time to advise us despite her own massive pile of research. As... well, anyway, I have a topic that has never been litigated and thus that no one would want to write about, that doesn't fit into my seminar nor workshop, and just started digging for faculty assistance.

On the plus side, the round of callbacks turned up nice folks who honestly sounded interested in the subject, so maybe I can tap them for tips up until I turn down their firms' offers. Writers, we are evil users even when we're not using making material of our families and friends. Incidentally, the Publishable Notes Manual recommends blogs as sources of ideas for Notes:

SCOTUSblog, at http://www.scotusblog.com: “SCOTUS” is a wacky-sounding acronym for “Supreme Court Of The United States.” (Well, it’s better than “SCUS.”) This blog is pretty darn good. In addition to gossip and updates about the Supreme Court and its cases, you’ll find information about big cases working their way up the appellate ladder; discussions of the ways in which new Supreme Court cases might impact the legal landscape; and links to commentary in the media, the academy, and the blogosphere.

The “How Appealing” Blog: http://legalaffairs.org/howappealing/. This site rounds up links to the latest appellate opinions---not all the opinions, just the newsworthy or controversial ones. The site also provides links to media discussions of appellate opinions. It’s a good place to find controversial cases, which in turn lead to areas of the law that are unsettled and therefore good places to find Note topics. The site isn’t organized particularly well, but if you wade through it you can find interesting ideas.

October 25, 2005 08:18 PM | TrackBack
Comments

I *so* got my note topic from How Appealing, thanks to this post. I shall dedicate it to you if it gets published. ;)

Posted by: Ruth at October 28, 2005 07:28 PM

:-) Thanks... the way my Note is going, your Note will be the only way to get my name in print.

Posted by: PG at October 29, 2005 11:40 AM

Right now I just have a topic. And not so much a topic as a subject. So don't hold your breath on my note either. :P

Posted by: Ruth at October 29, 2005 04:04 PM
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