Ask the Author: Frances Dunn Butterfoss
Answered Questions (6)
Frances Dunn Butterfoss
My earlier textbook, Coalitions and Partnerships in Community Health, is a 650-page tome written primarily for an academic audience. I tried to bridge the gap between the academic and practitioner community by including a number of helpful appendices and tools, but it is still a daunting text. As I travel on my speaking circuit, my audiences are clamoring constantly for tools and ideas that can be used in their own backyards. So, I knew I needed to write another book with them in mind.
We all share a primal link with fire. As I was gathering wood for a campfire in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia last fall, I began to conjure up images of how much constructing and feeding one was like building and sustaining a coalition. Coalitions have the power to catalyze a spark of an idea about how our communities could be healthier. This spark is fed by the imagination and resources of diverse community members and organizations working in partnership until we “fire up” entire sectors of our community for positive change. So, the idea of the book was born right then.
We all share a primal link with fire. As I was gathering wood for a campfire in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia last fall, I began to conjure up images of how much constructing and feeding one was like building and sustaining a coalition. Coalitions have the power to catalyze a spark of an idea about how our communities could be healthier. This spark is fed by the imagination and resources of diverse community members and organizations working in partnership until we “fire up” entire sectors of our community for positive change. So, the idea of the book was born right then.
Frances Dunn Butterfoss
I find my inspiration in the people I work with in communities around the country! I speak to, train and plan with very passionate community practitioners and volunteers. They inspire me to create practical books and tools that help them in their work with diverse populations in many under resourced towns, counties and cities across the US. When I sit down to swrite, I often have a few of these people in mind and write as if I am having a conversation about the best way to help people be healthier, live safer, advocate more effectively and care for the people who need them the most!
Frances Dunn Butterfoss
A revision of my textbook and a chapter in an edited text. This is tough work because they are not new creations - less exciting, but very necessary for my readership! I'm trying not to think of a new book until these tasks are done - hard to do!
Frances Dunn Butterfoss
Keep writing. Let others read what you have written and give you feedback that helps you to improve. Take writing courses. Read others' books to see the variety of styles and subjects that are out there. Develop your own style and find your niche. After you have been rejected, and it will happen, use this as another opportunity to try again! Don't give up....
Frances Dunn Butterfoss
The best thing about being a writer is giving yourself the freedom to express what's on your mind or heart. It is invigorating to put down in words the things that you have been carrying around inside for perhaps a long time. It takes experience and confidence to be less judgmental of your abilities and your creations, while being open to constructive criticism or new ideas.
Frances Dunn Butterfoss
I try to write at least 3 days per week. If I hit a day where the words won't come or I'm just plain stuck, I stop and use the time to do research or other activities that inspire me - like reading other autors' works that I like!
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