Gone Fishing…

Well, kinda. No, I’m not going on a fishing trip other than the trip to try and catch all the deep water goodies in the back of my mind as I work on my book, “Guide to the Road Less Traveled.” I’ve written nearly 160 blog posts in a little over a year and I’ve come to see that the intensity of coming up with ideas and writing good posts can often take away from the hard work of my book. So, I’m going to take a break from posting on the blog site, focus on the book, and post micro-blogs over on my facebook page for Observations from the Road Less Traveled. Plus keep everyone up to date on Twitter. Roll your curser over @spencerhope and you’ll be locked in.

This is an exciting time for me. Working on the book is exhilarating and challenging. Taking all of the ideas and philosophy that I have come to internalize over the years and then putting them together in an extended work is what I’ve always wanted to do. Letting myself get distracted by an excellent life is not a bad thing, but my book productivity has gone south and it’s time to buckle down. Rarely do I express a life goal, but the one that has been a constant for me is to have my book published by my 45th year. I’m in that year now and I would be pretty miffed at myself if February 16th, 2012 rolls around and this isn’t done!

I’m also excited because as part of my personal road less traveled, I’m investigating existing, and creating new ways to market this project. Perhaps I am a micro manager, but I’ve always believed that self-publishing done “properly” is the best way for assertive authors to get their work out. I’m working on testing a few ideas. I think my results will join others as an example of how self-publishing that utilizes social media, cutting edge technologies and forward free thinking can be the next wave for writers. Traditional publishers have long been tightening down and more often than not, they are hedging their bets on established writers. Those of us at the markets door have to think creatively, and that’s what I hope to do.

Third, I am proud to say that I’m about to guide my daughter down her own road less traveled. There are few things more fulfilling than to see that a way of life that you abide by and believe in so deeply is also something your child comes to explore in their own time and without your prompting. Although my daughter is turning 24 this year, seeing her reach out, and being here to guide her is almost like watching her take her first steps years ago. I proudly look forward to our cooperative and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with and experiences on her own.

Finally, I will still be on the literal road and traveling. Continuing to seek out the odd places, new locations, and challenging experiences. But this time, I don’t think it’s the right moment to experience these adventures as chunks of blog posts. I want to go deep and silently experience these moments without words to be immediately considered on paper. I will be writing the occaisional guest post on blogs such as this one, but this leg of the journey will be more internal and experienced as such.

Like I said, I’ll still be around. By joining the facebook page for the blog you’ll be able to see what I’m up to as l will be posting comments, links and staying in touch.

I’ll be back. See you when the “Gone Fishing” sign comes down!