Revised Chapter 1 / Introduction

Here is a draft of the introduction of "True Facts of This Drastic Period: Louisiana Slavery Narratives." The details of the project I'm working are hard to explain in a short "elevator pitch," and I hope this introduction lays it out clearly.

I welcome your feedback and suggestions. What words or images do or do not work? What seems to be left out? Where does the story need more or less detail? How can I present this subject with greater sensitivity and respect? Post a comment here and let me know what you think (or email/message me).

To access a PDF of the document, use this link.


Comments

  1. rachelFebruary 23, 2025 at 9:33 AM

    Hey Angus, my biggest question is why you choose to use the graphic novel format. What does this offer that regular text doesn’t? Just curious, but I do think it should be a part of your intro, and that it should come right after you explained what motivated you to write. I liked when you explained how you used photos to render your drawings, and felt that should come right after you explained why you use graphic novel form.

    I think you should keep together everything about your choices together: your motivation to write, format chosen, method chosen, whether at the beginning or the end of the intro. I think content/methodology should stay together.

    I studied history for an MA and aborted PhD. If you haven’t already, I suggest reading intros to history texts to see how other authors organize them. Eric Foner, David Blight, James Sweet come to mind as authors I respect.

    Looking forward to reading more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angus WoodwardFebruary 23, 2025 at 3:07 PM

    Thanks, Rachel! That's good feedback.

    ReplyDelete

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