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The Great Writing Blitzkrieg

Starting last week, I have begun a writing blitzkrieg with the goal of having the first draft of my book done by the end of November. This attempt has not gone perfectly smooth. Two days were completely missed already while writing of the Santa Cruz Union Depot & Freight Yard article ate up two extra days and will likely eat up another in editing. Writing is neither easy nor entirely fun, but it is necessary to completing this great project I have undertaken. So here’s the plan…let’s see how well I stick to it:

August:
30-31 – The Path of the Iron Horse [DONE!]

September:
1 – Prelude: The Dream of Steam [DONE!]
2 – Journeys: From the Bay to the Mountains [DONE!]
3 – The Santa Cruz Wharves [DONE!]
5-7 – Santa Cruz Union Depot & Freight Yard [Mostly done]
8 – Cherry Street Depot & Mission Hill Tunnel [DONE!]
9 – Mission Orchard & the Potrero District Spurs [DONE!]
10 – Golf Links [DONE!]
11 – The California Powder Works [DONE!]
12 – Shady Gulch Trestle & Rincon Tunnel [DONE!]
13 – The Cowell Limeworks at Rincon [DONE!]
14 – Coon Gulch Tunnel [DONE!]
15 – Big Trees Landing [DONE!]
16 – Fahihn & Hihn’s Gold Gulch Mill [DONE!]
17 – Holmes Limeworks [DONE!]
18 – Old Felton & the Flume Terminus [DONE!]
19 – Editing & Revising Day
20 – Felton Junction [DONE!]
21 – Big Trees [DONE!]
22 – Roaring Camp [DONE!]
23 – Felton Depot [DONE!]
24 – Mount Hermon [DONE!]
25 – The Olympia Sand Quarries [DONE!]
26 – Olympia & Eccles [DONE!]
27 – Kenville & Eccles Tunnel [DONE!]
28 – Dougherty’s Mill & Meehan [DONE!]
29 – Zayante [DONE!]
30 – Tank Siding & Virginia [DONE!]

October:
1 – Clems & Mountain Charlie Tunnel [DONE!]
2 – Glenwood & Glenwood Tunnel [DONE!]
3 – Laurel & Edric [DONE!]
4 – Prelude: The Other Valley [DONE!]
5 – Journeys: How Little Remains [DONE!]
6 – Editing & Revising Day
7 – Summit Tunnel [DONE!]
8-10 – [Vacation]
11 – Wright & Sunset Park [DONE!]
12-13 – [Moving Days]
14 – Call of the Wild [DONE!]
15 – Eva [DONE!]
16 – Aldercroft [DONE!]
17 – Alma [DONE!]
18 – Lexington & Lyndon [DONE!]
19 – Cats Canyon Tunnel [DONE!]
20 – Grove Park & Bunker Hill Park [DONE!]
21 – Los Gatos Depot & Freight Yard [DONE!]
22 – Forbes Mill Spur [DONE!]
23 – Bulwer [DONE!]
24 – Vasona Junction & Station [DONE!]
25 – Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad [DONE!]
26 – Prelude: Descent Into Darkness [DONE!]
27 – Journeys: Lost & Forgotten [DONE!]
28 – Editing & Revising Day
29 – Riverside & Felton Grove [DONE!]
30 – Kent’s Spur & Bonnie Brae [DONE!]
31 – Rubottom & Brackney [DONE!]

November:
1 – Glen Arbor [DONE!]
2 – Newell Junction & C.T.C. Mill [DONE!]
3 – Ben Lomond [DONE!]
4 – Phillipshurst [DONE!]
5 – La Siesta [DONE!]
6 – Fish Hatchery [DONE!]
7 – Brookdale & Reeds Spur [DONE!]
8 – Boulder and Grover Mills, Joy Camp & Harris [DONE!]
9 – Lorenzo & Filbert [DONE!]
10 – Boulder Creek [DONE!]
11 – Prelude: A Redwood Paradise [DONE!]
12 – Journeys: Over the River & Through the Woods [DONE!]
13 – Editing & Revising Day [DONE!]
14 – Harmon Bros Mill [DONE!]
15 – Morrell Mill & McAbee Bros Mill [DONE!]
16-17 – Cunningham Mill & Wildwood [DONE!]
18 – King’s Creek Mill [DONE!]
19 – Dougherty’s Mill [DONE!]
20 – Sinnot Switch & Chase Mill Spur [DONE!]
21 – McGaffigan Switch [DONE!]
22 – Waterman Gap Mill [DONE!]
23 – End of Track [DONE!]
24 – Prelude: Beyond Civilization [DONE!]
25 – Journeys: Into the Wilderness [DONE!]
26 – Editing & Revising Day
27-28 – Fading into Dust [DONE!]
29-30 – After the Golden Spike [DONE!]

December:
1-31 – Editing and academic review of articles; photo matching and contacting appropriate photo sources.

January:
1-31 – Photo input and captioning; final editing and analysis; further outside editing and reviewing.

February:
1-15 – Final edits and reviews; finalize Foreward & Acknowledgements and Index.
16 – Submit book to Lulu.com for publication by February 28th.

That’s my plan for publishing my book. A lot of work, still, especially since I also have to be working on my dissertation proposal during this time, as well as go on a driving tour of New Zealand. We’ll see how well things go. I may have to work overtime a few days on some of the smaller articles to give myself enough to to work. Not impossible, but still a bit of a pain. Well, here’s to wishing!