I talked to a bunch of author friends at the IA Summit this year, trying to find out just what was so hard about writing and why they all go overboard thanking their partners. I'm going to say naively that I haven't hit any of those problems so far (so I'm expecting a particularly nasty time some time later this year).

Would you believe it - I have written five chapters of the book - everything from an overview to planning to running a card sort (who'd have thought that would take 5 chapters). Even more amazing is that I'm relatively happy with them. Unfortunately, I am now at the hard point - the point at which I have to describe how to analyse results and use them in a project. Have you ever tried to teach someone to analyse - it is like trying to teach them how to think, an incredibly hard thing to do, and even harder at a distance in writing. But I'm getting there.

Writing has been fun. Really! I have taken a little time from client work to do it so have a block of time every week. It is my most fun time of week. I turn up the music, drink tea and write. Words go out of my fingers, onto the computer, then I fix them all up. It is an amazing feeling and I am enjoying it immensely.

Anyway, sorry for this gratuitously personal post, but a bunch of people have asked me how I'm going, so I thought I'd fill you in. Stay tuned for real card sorting advice in future posts.