First and foremost, thank you for your support in 2016! I appreciate the kind words and shares of anything I’ve posted here. And the support of my work-in-progress Milwaukee Brewers book has been amazing.
With that being said, here’s what I’m planning with the blog and book for 2017…
Right now I have a story ready to honor my Dad in January on what would have been his 78th birthday. I have additional posts planned where you’ll get to know a little more about me personally, and my family life. As an example, I am writing a multiple-part series about my past life in the radio broadcasting industry to post intermittently throughout the year.
I will also be posting some “Brewers stuff” in 2017, but not much content from my book. I will again be compiling a “Brewers Week in Review” to share on Baseball Blogger’s Alliance and MLB Reports. Most hardcore Brewers fans will already know the bulk of the info – but if you’ve been trapped under something heavy or are a fan of another team, it’s a quick read that breaks down the previous week.
In 2016 I wrote some guest posts for the 80’s Baseball site: That Time I Met Robin Yount, That Time I Met Sixto Lezcano and That Time I Wrote George Bamberger. Hopefully I can contribute again in 2017 with a couple of guest posts. Jonathan Daniel runs the site – he’s an all-around great guy with a book of his own coming in probably 2018.
Just so you know, I tend to pre-plan a fair amount of the blog posts and schedule them in advance. This doesn’t mean I slack off in writing the actual posts. It just helps me stay organized and allows me to schedule toward a specific anniversary (i.e. 25 Years Ago Today – Mark Knudson’s Unexpected Opening Day Start). A lot of this pre-planning and writing for 2017 will be done in the coming month.
And the book! Where to start? How about at the ending? By the time you read this I should have put the wraps on my final chapter – for the second time. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I submitted my original manuscript draft to a publisher (that shall remain nameless) last September. The acquisitions team felt I needed to expand out my ending and add a certain number of words to my word count (which shall remain, uhhh…”countless”). Admittedly, I previously glossed over some topics in an “Epilogue” ending that should have been fleshed out.
So I took their advice and worked hard to increase the book’s content in the last few months. You know what? The publisher was right! I’m really excited about my new version and feel that my new ending is way more effective. I’ll be resuming talks with the publisher after the holiday break regarding my expanded manuscript. Of course I’ll keep you updated here and on my Facebook page with developments on the book front.
Thank you again. Best wishes in 2017!
Chris
This little kid had some BIG dreams that might come true in 2017.
Chris Zantow 