Writing is such an odd mental activity. Each project is different in terms of the degree of apprehension associated with it. My Alaska State Fair eBook is an excellent case in point. It was an easy beginning. I started out writing dispatches, one for each day that I worked as a sorting area volunteer. I then sent them on to Carole Henry who works for the Valley Center for Recycling Solutions. She then posted them on Facebook and on the VCRS website.

This was low stakes writing. I just wrote what came to mind.

After, I decided to put together an eBook. I did some interviews and got additional information to incorporate into my work. There was then a lull. I wrote three other articles, one for the Icelandic Horse Quarterly, one for The Northwest Horse Source, and one for the Alaska Icelandic Horse Association. All will soon be published. Today I got a PDF of the Icelandic Horse Quarterly – the photos (of Raudi and I) are excellent. There’s a nice correspondence between two photos, one of Raudi and me walking in unison through the tunnel and one of Steinar, me, and Raudi walking in unison.

The lulls were actually a form of procrastination. I was putting off incorporating the research material into the eBook. This is not my favorite thing to do. Well, I got back to work on the document – I procrastinated in a very odd way – rather than incorporate research material into the eBook I instead wrote and revised a few more essays. I had two essays about Stormy, my writing about the final evening of the fair made for a third.

I now must get the information into the book. This includes a history of the state fair (I have Talis Colberg’s dissertation to draw from), a history of recycling (I have a handout), and sidebar pieces on Michelle (the Volunteer Coordinator), and Pam Meekin (the Alaska State Fair employee who is in charge of the recycling efforts), and VCRS Director Molly Boyer. I have done an interview with Molly and with Michelle. So I have the information on hand.

I really do feel as though I’m over the hump, which is odd considering that I’m no further along than a few days ago. And a few days I ago I did not feel like I was over the hump. It’s probably because I have now revised the personal stuff and have a sense as to how this other information is going to fit in with the rest.

I will do what needs to be done in piecemeal, one article at a time.

There was a time when I would have found this project hard to do. My one saving graces is that now I’m an experienced writer who in the past has put together longer works, the Alaska Bicycle Touring Guide included. I remember vividly having a major case of the dreads before embarking on that project.

I’m also looking forward to working on my next project, a revision of my version of Raudi’s Story. I am not the least bit apprehensive about working on this. I may have been in the past, but not now. The degree of dread (zilch) is indicative of the fact that I really should get on with this and get it published.

Next: 298. 10/28/17: Home Alone – the Story Continues