How do you follow up a book about running? How do you write something similar but new and interesting? Especially when you can no longer run! Write a book about not running? About how my injury has destroyed any future hope of running? No, that’s depressing enough to live, let alone write. By the middle of 2013 it was time to make a decision. Am I a runner who writes? Or am I a writer who happens to run and whose first published books is about running. I chose the latter. My passion is and always has been writing. My second passion has always been history. So what I need to write is an historical fiction about a runner. Right? Yep. J
So, the most famous historical runner, in my opinion, is Pheidippides; the Greek runner who is touted as the first man to run the Marathon. He featured a little in my book Running Against Time. In fact, he was one of my key inspirations. So over a year ago now, I started researching this mythical man and the legend of Pheidippides. I re-acquainted myself with another hero of mine, Herodotos, and his Histories. And I became familiar once more with Ancient Greek History. And I researched. And the more I researched, the less my focus became on Pheidippides and the more it became on the entire Ancient Greek Historical period. The more I researched, the more research there was to be done.
Fast forward to now and I’ve been researching Ancient Greek History for nearly a year and a half… with no end in sight. I could happily continue researching this book for another year and a half and still not be anywhere near starting my book.
Which brings me to Nanowrimo.
Nanowrimo is a motivational movement whereby you commit to writing a novel in the month of November (or at least 50,000 words of a novel). It is like Ocsober, where you don’t drink for an entire month, or Movember where you grow a moustache for an entire month, except for writers. And I’ve signed up. It’s time to force myself to start writing my next novel. I can’t say I’ve chosen an easy month to do it, with a ton on in the coming weeks, but there never really is a good time to write a book. You just have to do it. So from tomorrow, I’ll be writing the first draft of my second novel.
I’m going to try and keep a record of my experience here, hopefully for you who have stuck by me to follow and enjoy. And as you may note, I’m currently renovating my website to better align with my new project (just to add a little more work into the mix!). Wish me luck, or watch and laugh at my failure. Whatever it may be, at least I’m giving it a go. Right?
