On September 15th, 2005, I told the Mere-O audience that I was setting out to write a book on dating. The publishing leads were all lined up, my thoughts were all ready to go, and my level of enthusiasm was through the roof.
So much has happened in my life since then that it is hard to believe only three years has gone by. Since that day I have written numerous pages on dating and relationships and have spoken to several hundred high schoolers about the issue, but not once have I released my writing to the world.
Over the next three to four months, I will be systematically releasing every single word of my manuscript on dating and relationships at ConversantLife (see more details here). I thought about doing it at Mere-O, but figured that our target audience probably wouldn't suffer through four months of non-stop talk about youth romance. I will be posting weekly updates, but that's about it. Regular blogging will continue as much as possible.
ConversantLife is itself a decent story. In 2005, I looked at the changing landscape of publishing and realized that traditional publishing houses were going to struggle to sell books. What was needed was a fusion of an online content provider that had the ability to produce traditional more cost-effectively than traditional publishers might. I almost started such a platform, until I found out ConversantLife was doing it first. It is a unique platform that is still very young, but showing promise.
I am excited to (finally) let go of this project. I have no idea if any hardback book will come of it, but at least all my thoughts will be collected in one place and viewable for the whole world to see.
Of course, there is no audience in the world whose feedback I would appreciate more than Mere-O's. If you find it in your heart (and in your schedule) to help me out, I would appreciate you reading and offering your always insightful commentary, and passing word along to your friends and networks.
At the end of the day, my aim is to help as many Christian high school and college students learn how to make wise decisions and avoid many of the mistakes that I made. The "Build a Better Dating(?) Book Project" is the best way I know how to do that. I hope you'll come and play.