Getting Started...

Well, here it is - my own little blog.  And the reason for its existence?  Well I've begun fulfilling one of my lifetime ambitions - to write a book, and I thought I'd share the journey...

A little after my 40th birthday I started thinking I should check some ambitions off my list rather than keep adding new ones.  I've always wanted to write a book, so a landmark year seemed a good time to start.  I played around with a few story ideas in my head, until one got stuck.  I just couldn't let it go and the more I thought about it, the more the story grew.  Soon I was spending every spare minute I had - driving the car, doing the housework, and at work, (sorry Boss), thinking about the characters, and developing the storyline. 

Very early on in the writing process, I looked into the requirements for getting published the traditional way, and I was disappointed to find that newbie authors like myself usually get over-looked.  Apparently you need to appoint a literary agent to submit on your behalf, and if they are working with a new author, they have to work extra hard to get you noticed.  So, who are they going to choose?  Me the newbie, or an existing author, or maybe even some celebrity, (who may or may not have written the book in the first place).  Hmmm, tough one...

So I was more or less resigned to just publishing the book for myself, so I could look at it and say, 'yes, I did it.'  But, while I was busy writing the rest of the book, (nearly finished - just need a few additions and a final polish), the publishing world seems to have turned on its head.  Virgin authors are no longer sending their manuscripts to sit with millions of others in the slush-pile.  Instead they have turned to self-publishing e-books.  And some of them have been pretty successful.

So, I'm decided.  I'm going to get my book finished, and then I'm going to self-publish it, (because I want a copy in my hands), but more importantly, I'm going to have it made available electronically. 

I just have to finish it first.  Watch this space!