Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Riding With Reindeer: The Book

Since returning from my ride, I have been busy writing a book about my adventures in Finland and Arctic Norway. Like the trip itself progress has been slow, but steady. At least in the relative comfort of my study I am not dodging rain storms. I've managed to maintain a fairly regular writing schedule and as of this day I'm about two-third of the way finished with the first draft. The blog only skimmed the surface of the trip. In the book, I provide many anecdotes on Finnish history and culture that were relevant as I made my way through various parts of the country, as well experiences that I could not get into the blog. Through writing the book and reviewing my journals, notes and photographs, I more or less have been able to recreate the trip in my mind. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I actually did it. How did I manage to rouse myself from my little tent eat a few morsels then ride a folding bike through the forest and then the soggy marshes of Lapland for 50 days! It's amazing what you can do if you just snip off a little bit each day. Writing the book has been like that. Writing an entire book is rather daunting, but my goal was to just try and get a few pages down every other day or so. The plan seems to be working and now I have about 300 pages finished in rough form. By mid-summer I will begin the editing process, which is always brutal. By the first of the year I hope to have the manuscript to the editor, and by next year at this time, if all goes according to plan (and it seldom does), Riding with Reindeer - A Bicycle adventure through Finland, Lapland and Arctic Norway - should be in the bookstores.