The 30 to 40 year old authors were often getting divorced and being thrown out of their house. One author was very distraught at this and was living in digs away from his books, and papers. He just could not get started on his chapter. As it was on a subject that I was familiar with, I wrote a draft of about 40 pages and gave it to him. He then just had to alter things, expand the information and bring it up to date.
Authors find it much easier to correct and alter written material than to start writing afresh.
On starting, the blank page seems very inhibiting. It was proposed that all 12 volumes would be published simultaneously. This meant that the last few authors could hold up publication. Most authors were very good and kept to the time plan for completion but there were two authors who kept on saying that they were putting the finishing touches to their chapters and they would let me have them soon. This went on and on until I realised that they were lying and that they had not even started to put pen to paper.