“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
— Douglas Adams
Yup, deadlines are a tough one, especially when they’re self-imposed deadlines. I set myself one, and watched it fly by this past weekend. The deadline in question was to have something written. Specifically
The Ontario Craft Beer Guide 2014
Ambitious, I know. And at least a little presumptuous. That I could compile a craft beer guide for the province, I ask you? But I felt like there was a niche. There are numerous resources for great craft beer in the province; ranging from Beer Week information, to multiple blogs and publications, to TheBarTowel.com and sites like Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. But I felt that many, if not all, required a certain level of commitment or intention from the would-be reader. I wanted to produce a self-contained guide that would easily allow any reader to explore the various breweries, festivals/events, and a range of the great beer bars across Ontario. A book that would be mainly available on digital platforms, as well as print-to-order from Amazon (if you really dig on paper). And I’d set an ideal deadline of December 1, to have it ready. Oops. Turns out an un-funded side-project is a tough sell in terms of my schedule. The good news is, I’m well on my way to done and ready, and set a new goal of “mid-December” which feels a lot more manageable. Also, by posting this, I’m opening myself up to public-shaming if I fail to produce.
Here’s what I’ve already learned about this project: As I type, information becomes outdated. Like, literally. And there is no cure for this. A side-project to this side-project is investigating ways to allow purchasers to up-date their copy. I also learned that you can quickly run out of positive adjectives describing breweries and beers……
So, keep watching here, dear reader. I will announce the books official existence here first. Oh, and obviously, it makes a great (digital) gift…..
