It's 03:20 am and I can't sleep. I'm thinking of writing a book!

Man it's 3:20 am and I just can't get to sleep. I have been lying on the couch all night, my stomach all upset and cramped up, andit feels like its on fire. I am down to 4 prednisolone tablets per day, having reduced them from 8 per day, they are for this newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis. I think the medication creates cortisol, so I haven't been sleeping well for over a month now.

I have always struggled to switch off,  nothing to do with medication. My mind is constantly whirring around, analysing this or debating that. Sometimes it can be very useful and help me problem solve, and then other times it can be a real curse, as I try to tell my mind "It's time for bed now".

writing an e-book

Over the years quite a few people have said things to me like " I think you should write a book" or on occasion "Have you ever thought about having a go at motivational speaking". I never really gave it that much thought, just thinking they were being polite when they had heard some of the experiences I had been through. Then lately I gave the book thing a bit more thought. As for the motivational speaking I am not sure. I mean I guess if I was talking about certain stuff that I had experienced, it's then how to get it out, and inspire, the whole purpose of motivational speaking is in the title "Motivation".

Getting back to the book thing, it will be a fictional book, not an autobiography, more of a true story or a memoir, I think they call it. I have been hard at work writing, well typing, I mean it is 2024 and feathered quills are not in vogue. So far I am up to just over 29,000 words. It is a very rough edit, with lots of grammar and spelling mistakes. It recounts part of my journey from taking ill at 27 with a giant cell tumour in my right leg, up until present day. The story is pretty full on, as I have been very honest and not held anything back. There are a lot of dark times mentioned and I try to explain my mindset during these periods, there are also happy times, funny times and a few stories about when I was growing up. I have included very personal things and shared some of my poems and songs, which some people I am sure will think are a load of bollocks, but hey, they are my words and thoughts, special to me so I am not too concerned.

I am by no means a professional writer, or poet, this is just something I would like to try, I guess for myself as much as anything.

The difficult parts:

There are a lot of things to consider when writing a book, for starters it is incredibly difficult writing a true story, and those people involved in that story not being named. If  I do include peoples names I have to then approach them, and get written consent.  I have met that many people over the years, it would take me forever to contact everyone and get consent. So I have attempted to write in such a way that not many people are named. Its a real shame as I would like to thank each one for their support and by naming them. There is nothing I have written that is defamatory in my opinion, a few funny instances I have recounted, that is about it.

Next is finding someone to proof read my work. I'm thinking this could be quite expensive and I write in a slightly unusual way, so don't really want my book changed and lose the essence of myself, if that makes sense. I tend to swear a lot, it is an emotive response, and I use a fair bit of Geordie or Durham'ite dialect, its where I come from and I am proud to have a pit village accent and I think it adds to the authentic nature of my story.

 

Writing a book and putting it online

Next on the agenda after doing some research is where to place the book. Amazon KDP, looks like the easiest way to start. I think I can use a company called Draft2Digital to format the e-book and then upload it to Amazon. The thing from what I have read here is not to go for Amazons Free ISBN number. The ISBN is used to identify books, however if I use Amazons free ISBN I am then tied in to only selling the book on Amazon. So I have looked into how to get my own ISBN and think it costs £93 per book. So it would be £93 for an e-book, then £93 for a paperback and again £93 for a hardback. Mind you the paperback and hardback versions are just wishful thinking I mean I may not sell a single copy, but that is the good thing about "Print on demand", I don't have to go out and buy lets say 1000 books and then have them stored at home gathering dust as no one is interested, and I don't have to package them and ship them off. Amazon or any of the other print on demand companies take a percentage of the sales and do everything.

And so that is where I am at. Hopefully if I do get to release my own book, it would get a good reception, not be considered too depressing and who knows inspire, even one person, or help someone to understand they are not alone. Thinking big, it might make me a shed load of money so I can follow my dream and get that house up in Scotland LoL