John Meyers Assignment 2
I like books. I read chapter 5, titled Books, sections 1 through 4. In Section 1, titled "What Constitutes a Good Book?" Krantz describes the many aspects that go into writing a good book on mathematics. He suggests that before writing, you have tenure, you have a novel idea to write about, and you have a detailed plan for the book. He recommends that, while writing the book, you attempt to view it both from the perspective of your colleagues and of first year graduate students, so that your book will be accessible to both. Krantz never answers the question posited by the section header.
In the next section, Krantz addresses the planning phase of writing a book. His first suggestion here is to teach a course on the material you wish to turn into a book for a few years before attempting to write about it. The course notes and feedback from students will provide a starting point for how to approach the book. Krantz also suggests working with a collaborator as a means to bounce ideas off another person while also grounding yourself. He then mentions a potential pitfall of working with a collaborator, the likely scenario that they become embroiled in divorce before finishing the book.
In the next two sections, Krantz tells of the importance of writing the preface and table of contents before continuing with the book. The preface acts as a justification for the book, an answer to any 'but' that the reader may have. It will spell out the level of detail for the book and your point of view in writing it. The table of contents serves as a rigid outline that you may write around. It provides you with the topics you must segue into and pulls you back from writing lengthy asides. Krantz stresses the importance of writing the table of contents before the book and suggest that if you cannot do so beforehand, then perhaps God is sending you a message.
In the next section, Krantz addresses the planning phase of writing a book. His first suggestion here is to teach a course on the material you wish to turn into a book for a few years before attempting to write about it. The course notes and feedback from students will provide a starting point for how to approach the book. Krantz also suggests working with a collaborator as a means to bounce ideas off another person while also grounding yourself. He then mentions a potential pitfall of working with a collaborator, the likely scenario that they become embroiled in divorce before finishing the book.
In the next two sections, Krantz tells of the importance of writing the preface and table of contents before continuing with the book. The preface acts as a justification for the book, an answer to any 'but' that the reader may have. It will spell out the level of detail for the book and your point of view in writing it. The table of contents serves as a rigid outline that you may write around. It provides you with the topics you must segue into and pulls you back from writing lengthy asides. Krantz stresses the importance of writing the table of contents before the book and suggest that if you cannot do so beforehand, then perhaps God is sending you a message.
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