I’m so excited that the next book is already well under way, though, to be honest, I may have ‘cheated’ slightly. Rather than starting from scratch, I have a first draft from about fifteen years ago, and this is the one I’m writing next. The non-fiction project I’ve put on one side for a while, as its proving a bit mentally draining, and we’re back to the fun parts of writing, and I love this story.
It’s also a huge challenge. “Hope if a Six Letter Word” (working title) is the story of a young man, having tragically lost his parents, embarking on a journey of self-discovery (a journey in a Ford Cortina) to all the places that hold special memories. And in one of them, an odd girl climbs into his car and falls asleep against him, a girl who speaks only French.
It’s quite a personal narrative, with a number of references to my own life (though not the main story), with the added challenge that I need to create part of it in French. And I don’t really speak French. But that’s what research (and friends) are for.
It’s the hugely enjoyable part of writing, still creating, travelling to destinations in the book for reference, adding sub-plots, and a huge dilemma for me. I wrote the backstory of the girl (about 10,000 words), but I can’t decide whether to include it at the end, as I think it really adds a new layer, or maybe have it as a free download for anyone interested. And as I’m in a very “meta” place, this has, in turn, meant I’m writing an additional chapter of backstory for a character (Josh), who appears in her backstory. So there’s a real chance I may disappear up my own arse at some point. I’ll keep you informed.
At the same time, tEXt me is due out at the beginning of Nov, which means the marketing stage, probably the hardest element of all for me personally. There is so much competition, getting reviews is an uphill challenge, and without the reviews, no-one knows to buy and read. The #writingcommunity on Twitter is wonderfully helpful and supportive, but one of the pieces of advice you tend to get when starting (follow and engage with other writers) can mean that sometimes you end up in a small community where everyone is selling, and few people are actually buying. Some do, of course, and I try to myself, but it’s still a very enclosed community and you really need the non-writers to be the ones reading the reviews. If I figure out a good way to solve that one, I’ll let you know.
Stay safe,
Kit