Writing Archaeology

Brian Fagan. 2006. Writing Archaeology: Telling Stories About the Past. ISBN 1-59874-005-9. 163 pages, references and resources for writers. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, California.

Except of course, for Brian Fagan, who has published several, and indeed is one of the most prolific and well-known general public writers in archaeology today. In this new book from Left Coast Press, Fagan gives concrete suggestions to the aspiring author on how to convert your field notes into a decent readable text, and get that text into the hands of a book publisher. What every good archaeologist should know.

Each of the nine chapters in Writing Archaeology begins with a rule. The first is "Always Tell a Story" which is great advice, even for that CRM report you're writing right this moment. The chapters include Fagan's recommendations on how to pick a topic (passion, passion), what markets are available to archaeologists, dealing with editors and agents, writing the first and subsequent drafts (revise, revise), dealing with production issues, and the special problems with text books.

I have to say that anybody who writes as well and prolifically as Brian Fagan ought to have plenty to say about the writing business. And he does. Gems of advice, clearly learned the hard way, are sprinkled throughout this brief text. As a professional writer myself, I found several pieces of advice I can wholeheartedly endorse, such as 'write every day' and 'find a dispassionate friend'. But far from being simply a guide for the beginning writer, there is more to be found in Writing Archaeology that even a working writer can learn from. But that would be telling.

In short, Writing Archaeology is an introduction to authoring books and articles on general archaeological topics that fairly bursts with information on everything from considering your market to writing the proposal to avoiding some of the pitfalls of the editor/agent relationship.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a proposal to put together...