Book Writing

So, I've decided that I'm going to write a book. I think it will be an interesting journey, a way to keep me busy, and a potential income stream in the future.

It's still early doors yet but I've been brainstorming a few ideas for a few weeks now to the point where I have the basic skeleton of a plot and have started writing the first chapter. I won't be giving away too much away at the moment beyond it being a medieval fantasy. I believe it will be a good story and I am excited to share it once it is finished; hopefully, people will feel the same.

I've always been tempted by the idea of writing a book and attempted it a few years ago, but lost my work when my hard drive on my computer at the time got corrupted. Now I know to always have multiple saves.

I suppose I ought to list my inspirations so that people get an idea of what the book might be like as it takes shape. I've always had a love of fantasy and science fiction, so it makes sense to me that I would be drawn to one of these if I were to choose to write a novel. In terms of fantasy writers and their works, I love J.R.R. Tolkien's works, not just Lord of the Rings but the extended universe as well. Tolkien's work may seem wordy and like wading through verbal treacle at times, but there is such a broad universe to get absorbed into that avid readers can dip in and out of to get a sense of the details within the middle earth.

Another favourite of mine growing up was the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix. I felt it was an intriguing take on a world with magic users and the role within that world to protect it. I also liked the trilogy's take on the mechanics of how magic is constructed, and how magic is a series "letters" and symbols that have to be drawn to be used. Having a female protagonist was also quite refreshing as there just aren't enough in fantasy fiction.

Thirdly, Harry Potter has been a big influence on the sort of material I read and enjoy. The first book was released when I was seven years old, a time where I was coming to grips with reading independently. I was absorbed by this series of books just like many people around the world. It became so popular in our household that we had three copies from the third book onwards. We also had them on tape and CD for long family car journeys. It's a series of books that will be precious to me for a long time to come.

During this process, I was hoping to be able to support myself and to be able to pay for publishing services from an editor or a publishing house, but it varies from £300 to £800, which I couldn't hope to afford right now. In order to try and raise some funds, I have set up a Patreon.

Patreon is a service for creators to help with funding. It allows people to pledge a certain amount per month to help support their favourite creators. If you wish to support me through this way there will be rewards for doing so. For example, an early preview of chapters or the book as a whole. There will be other rewards available as soon as I manage to arrange them.

There is also a tipping service called Buy Me a Coffee if you don't want to pay a monthly amount but instead give a one-off tip, it would be equally appreciated.

Anyway, thanks again for letting me ramble for a bit. Hopefully, there will be regular updates coming soon.