Almost Half Way !

The end of June marks the official half way point for our novel and the progress has been exceptional.

Well over half the writing has now been completed and initially edited. We are all very proud of the story so far!

It has always been our intention to keep the details of our story under wraps but as we move into the final months a few hints will be given and the first is to announce that although we are writing fiction (and cracking fiction at that!) there will be an environmental theme to our story. That's all I can divulge right now but one or two more 'teasers' may be released in the months ahead.

Here in the British Channel Island of Guernsey the sun is out and my own writing time is having to compete with a strong desire to be out sailing! But the beat goes on and there will be no let up from our team as we plough forward with this unique project. Around the world the writing continues 24 hours a day in different time zones and the interaction between writers in our online forum is as busy as ever. An average of 370 page views every day between the dozen writers!

June will see our Reader's Circle casting off their identities and becoming strangers to the writing team as they imagine they have just purchased 'The Book' and must now review it!

Later in the month, I will post a message that I think you will all find very interesting ........! :)

Pete

my virtual office

It's Maya signing in from Canberra, Australia. It's hard to believe that I've been with THE BOOK project since the beginning of December 2008, because I feel as though I've been working with the other Book members for years. I feel as though we are old co workers, running reports past one another, agreeing and disagreeing about issues, meeting at the water cooler to recount tales of our home lives and weekend adventures around the world. The best part about this 'virtual office' of mine is that it really makes my love for writing a priority alongside the 'regular' day to day 'priorities'. As a wife and stay at home mother of three, home manager, home maker, housekeeper, etc. etc. etc., it's easy to get bogged down with the zillions of things that 'have' to be done and keep putting aside my own writing which seemingly has no deadline or priority. With THE BOOK, I do have coworkers, waiting for me to do my part and I feel that I have more reason to re prioritize all my activities and put writing first!

I don't know about the others, but as my chapters draw to a close, I'm thinking about THE BOOK 2, because I really am having fun with this new job - the hours are great and my co workers a pretty versatile and interesting lot of characters.

Finally, I've discovered another advantage of having my virtual workplace. I am currently on my 5th day of chicken pox, and am really appreciating having a virtual office which allows me to still work and chit chat at the water cooler without exposing anyone to my virus or to the sight of my ghostly visage painted in calamine lotion (though some might say it's an improvement on the way I usually look).

I'm off for another cuppa tea break to bake pear bread and make hamburgers for dinner tonight, but will be back online editing so when other co workers awake from their night's slumber in another part of the world, they can begin their work . . .

Latest Press Release

Just over half way through the time allocated for The Book we are starting to look for representation both for the Novel and a Movie.

One of the first places we sought writers last year was the New Zealand news site 'Scoopit'. So this has been chosen as a fitting place to launch the search for representation.

Check out the news site link here;

Scoopit

There's a lot going on with the project and our authors at the moment and both good and bad fortunes, as ever, are with us. Yet again the story behind our story is a powerful reflection on life across our planet.

We will report on some more of this story here on the blog soon.

The good news is that we are ahead of schedule and the flow of creative juices is as abundant as ever!

If there were ever any doubts that we could see this through, they have long since evaporated.

Pete

Tornadoes!!!

Spring always brings a wild array of weather...and this year is no different! This past week, Tennessee, along with Alabama, Kentucky, and several other states, were hit hard by spring tornadoes. Spring Hill dodged most of the damage, but other areas were not near as lucky. One community, Murfreesboro, suffered major damage, including two fatalities and many serious injuries. The clean-up effort has been non-stop since the storms passed, and it is amazing to see the community come together to help each other in such a hard time. However, these efforts are not only local. Volunteer crews have come from all over the state of Tennessee, and some from out of state, to help with the clean up and to provide shelter for the many families who were effected by these storms. This a true sign of humbleness and caring during a time when our world is in much turmoil. There is always hope!

Hello From Eastern TN

It is now the middle of April and it seems that spring refuses to show itself in Eastern Tennessee, USA. We have had rainy cold days all during the month of March and now it continues into April. I just know soon the sun will come out and it will finally warm up.

The good news is the cool weather has allowed me to stay indoors and work on "The Book Project" along with all of the other authors from around the world. I have enjoyed this project more than anyone can imagine. I have met the most wonderful people that have such great talent, and it has been a pleasure to get to know these other writers.

As the work progress and "The Book" comes along chapter by chapter it is amazing to get to know others from around the world. I get a glimpse of how people live from different walks of life, something I would never get to see if I hadn't joined this most awesome venture.

Thanks Pete, for letting me be part of this group!

And a BIG thanks to everyone else for allowing me into your daily lives!

Carla

Readers Circle and some Departures

Across the world, reading groups or 'circles' regularly meet to discuss literature and agree upon a book to read and debate.

Well we decided our book would benefit from the critical reviews of such a group but unfortunately it's still very much 'under wraps'. So we have formed our own circle comprising members of our project team to critique The Book.

By adopting a 50,000 feet detachment from the story, our readers will act out the role of customers who've purchased The Book and meet up to discuss its merits.

This week has sadly seen a number of writers forced to leave due to overwhelming issues that have, or will, prevent them from contributing. We say goodbye to Tim, Roy, Danni and Guat Choo and offer our gratitude for all the effort they've put in.

Undeterred our work goes on with the same or more resolve to complete The Book on schedule.

Nobody said it would be easy!

Pete

Some interesting stats from our project!

Would you believe that in the seven months (yes, just seven months!) since we first started this project a staggering 76,731 page views have taken place in the forum alone. Unlike open websites every one has been about our project!

There have been a total of 4,301 posts in 221 topics and, on average, 360 page views take place every day.

It might also surprise you to know that an average of 20 posts take place every day.

The one interesting stat I don't have at hand is how many hours in total have been spent online working on The Book, but I can reveal that just under 1,000 hours (933) have been dedicated by the top ten contributors alone! That's the equivalent 25 full-time working weeks so far.

And this is just the Forum so work offline researching, writing, editing or in the Wikis isn't included in these numbers!

What a truly splendid effort and little wonder that such a brilliant manuscript is being created.

Just another 8 1/2 months to go!
Pete