Template:Did you know nominations/Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

The following discussion is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Harrias ^talk 14:59, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

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... that American Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard (pictured) feared she peaked at the age of 28 after the publication of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974)?

Reviewed: Red goats of Kingston

Created/expanded by Yllosubmarine (talk). Self nom at 22:53, 1 December 2011 (UTC)

This article was first edited by the author on 17th November and expansion started on 21st November. It was not nominated until December 1st so fails the "newness" test. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 12:38, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

The true expansion started on November 28th, so that's what I was going by. Please re-review. María (yllo submarine) 14:03, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Given that the true expansion started on 28 November, that was at 1984 chars. No problem if you get it to 5* that and nominate today for the 28th. Back on the 23rd, it was 1228 chars. Even compared to that, it's not yet 5*, at now 5034, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:23, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll add a little more and nominate it for the 28th. María (yllo submarine) 14:28, 3 December 2011 (UTC)
The article is now 9963 B (1645 words) of "readable prose size". It'll grow a little more over the next two days, but I believe that satisfies the 5x? María (yllo submarine) 17:49, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

It does! Bravo already! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:09, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Throrough, well written, interesting! Offline sources AGF. You may want to add that the book appears twice in that list of the best 100. Which brings me to the wish for a hook which covers this particular book better. An author afraid of peaking early is not so uncommon, right? Something about Walden perhaps, to connect to something familiar? The hook is approved, but if you come up with something better, even better. - I am not sure about the picture license, reads somewhat restrictive. English is not my language, did you know? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:35, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm glad you like the article! I see what you mean about an average young, successful author's insecurities; I suppose I found her dramatic oh-my-god-my-life-is-over-and-I'm-not-even-thirty worries kind of amusing. How about this one, which ties in Walden and her master's thesis? Too long?

ALT 1: "that the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is often compared to Walden, a work on which author Annie Dillard (pictured) based her master's thesis?"

As for the image, I received permission from Dillard's agency to use it on Wikipedia, with the provision that credit is given to the photographer. OTRS approved the permission (given via email), so the ticket stored for perusal by those with OTRS rights. María (yllo submarine) 23:04, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Please imagine a reader who doesn't know it's a book! Perhaps you can word the amusement in a way it shows? Other suggestions to play with (and there is also the goldfish):

ALT2: ~~... that Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Dillard (pictured) based her thesis on Thoreaus's Walden and wrote in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek comparably on solitude, nature and death?~~

ALT3: ... that in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, a non-fiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Dillard (pictured), based on her journals, the narrator is the only person? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:36, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Hm, I don't think the syntax of either ALT2 or ALT3 is quite right. I prefer both the original and ALT1 (which I've reworded slightly). But then again, I'm partial. :) María (yllo submarine) 01:06, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Hm, I said "to play with" and meant it. I like the wording of ALT1 now but think "pictured" is in the way of reading it fluently. I realize now (was too tired before, the original hook didn't have it) that this very book won her the Pulitzer in 1975, I would mention that precisely, syntax is your part please,

ALT4: ... that the non-fiction book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard (pictured), based on her journals written in solitude, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:44, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

IMHO, that hook isn't interesting, it's obvious. That the book won the Pulitzer has been in the article for nearly five years, since I first created it in 2007. I thought the whole point of DYK is to introduce material to the mainpage that has been recently added? Again, I prefer the original hook and ALT1. María (yllo submarine) 14:04, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Fine! (I didn't go and study which part was new. The hook doesn't tell someone who doesn't know the topic - like me - that this book won the prize.) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:52, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

ALT1 does say the book won the Pulitzer. :) Thanks for your help! María (yllo submarine) 17:01, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

I saw that. Let's the one decide who takes it to prep, therefore I left three possibilities, you prefer 1 or 2, agreed. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:13, 4 December 2011 (UTC)