Some of you may have noticed that this site has been quiet for the last couple of months. Not that I haven’t been writing; I just haven’t been writing here.
That’s less of a reflection of my commitment to post here than it is acknowledgement of the reality that I can only do so much. I have had one writing project in particular that has been weighing on me for nearly a year now: a book. It is not my first book, but it is the first book that will be published solely under my name. It endeavours to take the results of my doctoral thesis and render them in something like human-readable form. And, as of just a few moments ago, it is done. I just pressed send on the first draft of the manuscript, shipping it off to my publisher.
The book is called ‘Exercising Agency: Decision Making and Project Initiation’. It will be published by Gower this fall, probably sometime in October (although my slight delay in completing the first draft may result in a corresponding slight delay in the actual publishing schedule). I finished writing it late on Thursday, finished editing it yesterday, and finished making the changes and prepping the files for submission today.
That brings me to an exciting place. This is the last major commitment that I have had on my plate that in some way predates my transition to Ontario. It is the last major activity that I wanted to be able to get to a state of “done.” From here, there is boundless opportunity in terms of “what’s next?” That’s very exciting. And not a little bit intimidating. Watch this space for what happens next.
Of course, part of what happens next will build upon what has just happened. I expect that there will be speaking opportunities and further writing that comes out of completing the book. It may even lead to additional research. And it’s not like I am trying to just chop off the past and forget what has come before. It’s more that I have struggled in the past to celebrate accomplishments and milestones like this when they have happened. The tendency has been to immediately move on to whatever is next on the list. Because there have always been a multitude of other things on the list awaiting my attention.
This time around, however, I’m taking the time to savour the accomplishment. I have written a book. I’m quite proud of the result. I have an editor and publisher who have been anxiously awaiting to receive it. That all feels rather awesome and exciting.