Some Reflection on My New Book

On Wednesday, this week, I received an advance copy of my newest book. It is really an update - new edition - of one I've worked on 2 times before, but it takes almost as much time as writing a full book. The joy of seeing your work in print is almost indescribable. It's a surge of pride, of a job well done, of knowing that someone else will read what you have written - even if it is by assignment from an instructor. It makes up a little for the hours and hours of really hard work of finding, writing, editing, looking for photos, case studies, sidebars and the like. But the real joy is in the writing, no matter how hard it is and whether anyone reads it or not.

I am just starting on another book and I've been a little slow getting going, but receiving this book in the mail has really encouraged me. I'm ready to start writing, organizing, outlining, talking, writing memos (a format I use to get to thoughts). However, the book I just received is special. It was written by a friend and colleague who died about 8 years ago and I was asked to take over the book by the publisher. I selected two great colleagues to work with me, one of which has moved on to other projects, and now we are in our 3rd edition. It was a lot of work moving it from a very traditional format to a newer and more current and contemporary format and content.

Beginning with the last edition I began to include photos and material from our family. For instance my sister, she and her husband are big NASCAR fans, wrote me a first person experience of attending a NASCAR race. In this edition it was moved to be the very first piece anyone reads - it sets the stage for the recreation experience. I also asked our newest daughter-in-law to write a piece on Why I like to write and I turned it into a case study.

In the last edition I had photos of family and of trips I have taken. For example, I asked Jeni to take photos of her children at the water playground near their old home in Aurora, CO and included it. It also included the 2 oldest children of Donna. Some of the photos are shown here. The one to the right not only was used in the book, but also in our large wall mural at Indiana State University as a recruitment for the program.

I've tried to mix it up a little, but not always able to use just family photos. They need to look good and they need to fit the topic. In this edition I had a chance to work on the history chapters and knew I had just the perfect photo as I wrote about families, recreation, and children. This photo of my mother reading "Child's Life" is of a girl I never knew and yet I wish I had. I will talk more about that later. The photo has evoked such strong feelings in me that I struggle to understand them and at the same time feel like I'm seeing my mother in a different way for the very first time. Writing does cause introspection and reflection. I enjoy doing both.

Finally, I've been able to include a couple of my favorite photos, one of which I took below at a convent at a mountain side castle near Sparta, Greece. I was entranced by the scene, serenity, and beauty.

Thanks for allowing me to share some of my experiences in writing. I need to do more of this.