I've got a really good idea for a book

[Droopy]

No, I'm not looking for a writer, unless you happen to have schizoaffective disorder. :)

I've got a mental illness called schizoaffective disorder. Not long after I was diagnosed as having the illness I went looking for books about it. I couldn't find anything that was current and still in print. Those afflicted with the illness have the symptoms of bipolar disorder as well as some symptoms of schizophrenia. I've read books about bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and they've been helpful to a certain degree, but there are things about schizoaffective disorder that make it a unique illness that aren't covered in those books. I think that's a shame considering 1 in 200 people have schizoaffective disorder. It's still not as common as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but not at all rare.

So that got me thinking that there should be a book out there about schizoaffective disorder and I tried to write one. I soon found that I wasn't up to the task, so I had a different idea: Create a book about schizoaffective disorder that was written by those who have the illness. I would solicit essays from them and put them all together to make what I think would be a useful and unique book.

But I ran into a brick wall with that when I found that soliciting essays and getting people to write was a lot harder that I had anticipated. I did manage to get 4 essays with the authors' permission to use them as I please. And that's where I'm at right now.

How would you go about soliciting more essays? If you did manage to get enough essays together for a book, how would you put it together?

[Orrex]

1. That's a great idea!

Are you familiar with any support groups for those with schizoaffective disorder, either online or in real life? You might be able to post something in such a group.

Good luck with the project--it sounds like a noble undertaking.

[Droopy]

2. So far I've tried

mental illness message boards and I have a profile on a dating site for the mentally ill that says that I'm looking for essays. I don't know of any support groups for my particular illness in the area where I live. There are bipolar and schizophrenia groups, but it seems like us schizoaffective are told to go to these groups where we don't quite fit in. I've considered starting a schizoaffective support group, but I work 3rd shift, so any group that I would organize would have to meet on the weekend for the time to be agreeable and for me to be able to attend.

I've been considering paying people for the essays, but I don't have a whole lot of money. What do you think would be fair compensation for essays 1000-5000 words in length for a project like this?

[Wickerman]

3. A book is a great idea

but a way to get there might be to start a blog or some other sort of website. Just a thought, not well fleshed out.

Great concept, I wish you well.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. I don't know how you might do

any more than you've already done, but I do have some ideas that you might want to consider.

Since you're already a very good writer, your concept of a collection would be a great way to put together pieces written - by you - about he disorder from various perspectives.

It would be an exercises in fiction/non-fiction writing. If you followed the old canard about "writing what you know about," you're already there, since you do know the disorder from the inside.

Why not write a piece from the POV of a woman married to a man who has schizoaffective disorder?

How about from the vantage point of his teenaged son, or grown, married daughter - telling what it was like to grow up with a dad like that?

The mother of a woman with the disorder - writing about how it was discovered and diagnosed, what led up to it, how they managed.

A friend of the person with the disorder.

A woman who loves a man with the disorder.

A man who loves a woman with the disorder.

The person's shrink. (Think "Tony Soprano" for inspiration........)

See where I'm going with this? You have a unique perspective on this matter, and I think you are probably the one best suited to write about it - especially since we've already had the conversation (remember?) about your talent.

So, that's my contribution. I've never been one for coloring inside the lines, my friend, and you don't have to be, either.

Best of luck to you.................

[Droopy]

5. Thanks Tangerine

I've never really tried to write like that before except for a couple of fiction short stories that I've written. One of those stories got some praise from a writing instructor. The other hasn't been seen by anyone, but I looked at it a little while back after not working on it for a while and it looks pretty bad. I'd be embarrassed to show it to anyone- that's how bad. :blush:

I do much better with my non-fiction little stories, I think, but I might give you're suggestion a try. It certainly couldn't hurt. If I give it a go I'll post a little bit of it here to get the group's thoughts.