Finally Caught a Break

My email to Allie

Hey, everybody. Did you know that this whole "social proof" thing works? I had a really helpful experience. I discovered a blog called The Hemingway Project during that one class when Professor Burton ditched us for a half hour to go to lunch. Instead of sitting there thinking, "Man, I'm jealous. I wish I were at lunch right now, too,"I started conversing with Adam and Kimberlee. I expressed some of my concerns about my trouble with getting good feedback, and they helped me find this blog about Hemingway. It looked perfect, so I resolved to send the editor an email. I read some of her interviews and essays regarding related topics and finally decided to reach out. What I got in return was better than what I could have possibly hoped for. 

I sent out this email to the editor, Allie Baker. I mentioned that I had enjoyed reading her blog posts and then asked if she had any knowledge regarding my thesis. I tried to sound professional and smart. My question was specific and interesting to a Hemingway enthusiast. Luckily for me, she responded fairly quickly and gave me some help that I could not have expected.

Allie's reply

Allie was very gracious and helpful. She expressed her interest by pointing me to a Hemingway scholar named H.R. Stoneback. She interviewed him for her blog and asked him some questions that were related to my thesis. I am definitely going to check that out when she posts it. She recommended one of Stoneback's books that could be useful for my paper.

One really important thing is that now I have an "expert" to reach out to. I can become familiar with his work, mention Allie's recommendation, and then propose my question. I no longer feel like I am reaching in the dark thanks to Adam, Kimberlee, Allie, and Professor Burton's long lunch.

And they all lived happily ever after.