Tuesday, August 15, 2006 10:28 PM
by
plitwin
Writing Courseware Sucks
I just got back from visiting the Vermont .NET Users Group today. The flight out this morning was early and I mean early! 6:00 AM which meant I had a wake up call at 4:15 AM, giving me about 3.5 hours of sleep. I rolled into the office about 1:30 PM-ish and then when I got home jumped back into chapter 8 of a 12-chapter SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services course I am writing for AppDev. Anyway, because of the early rise combined with the 3 hour time change, I have now been up over 24 hours. Okay, I'm not counting the odd minutes I slept on the plane rides (probably a total of an hour).
Boy, it's tough writing courseware, especially when you have a full-time job to boot. And when you have less than 6 weeks to crank out 12 chapters, let me tell you it's brutal. But then there's this thing called money which tends to motivate me at times (not always, though, that's why I work at a non-profit). But the offer to partner up with my old traning company turned out to be good timing. And I really did want to write something...either a book or courseware on SSRS 2005.
Anyway, Monday is the drop-dead date for the course because that's when I start recording the videos of the course. I have 4.25 chapters to do before then. Plus I have to work up some slides to use during the sessions. I am doing the instructor samples as I go but when I get back from the marathon recording sessions in Minneapolis I have to get back to work cranking out the student labs for the 12 chapters.
Plus I am supposed to be training for my 3rd trithlon this summer, the Kirkland Sprint Triathlon at Carrilon Point in Kirkland, WA. However, besides the gruelling course writing, I pulled a hamstring muscle at last week's Midsummer Triathlon in Blue Lake, OR. That will slow you down.
Okay, enough rambling. Back to writing. 25 hours up and counting....
Paul