10 years or so ago, I thought it would be a good idea to write a book. I felt I had at least one story in me, as the saying goes. Operation ARGUS was my first, five books later, my biggest challenge so far has been writing and completing SS Indigo.
I finished the first manuscript 5 months ago and sent it off to my editor. He quickly came back to me and sent me back to the drawing board and that's where I have been since.
"You see, I've never proclaimed to be a writer, an author, I guess so after 5 published novels, but in my mind, the two aren't necessarily the same thing."
With SS Indigo, it's an Agatha Christie-style story of how a group of strangers is invited on a mystery Caribbean cruise meeting their demise one by one. Thing is, that's a different type of book to write than a story - coordinating the different characters in a symphony, sharing their backgrounds just sufficiently, not too much to give it away, to keep the reader tempted and compelled to turn the page.
"Looking back at my own writing endeavors, I find it incredible to think that Agatha Christie herself published over 80+ books in her lifetime - at my own pace it would take me until 2102 to match that feat."
I have done many things in my life that have tested my resolve - from jumping out of an aircraft, diving into the deep blue seas, getting on the Rugby field, and jumping in the ring, but I think the hardest thing I have ever done is write a book, 5 of them, and to be clear, SS Indigo by far the hardest so far.
You see, all these other endeavors are over in a matter of minutes, but writing a novel, at least for me, is a years investment, and that can be a long time when juggling family, business, and life but in the end of the day, just like in life, no one ever said it was going to be easy.
So, to all my fellow authors out there, wishing you luck, patience, inspiration, and the endurance to see your projects through no matter how hard, how long, and sometimes how lonely and frustrating. But in the end, if nothing else, you can be proud of your achievement of finishing the marathon - I know that I am.
ONWARD: Always a little further.
Willy Mitchell is an indie author, writer, and storyteller.
Mitchell's first title was Operation ARGUS, and then the sequel Bikini BRAVO where a group of former Special Air Service operatives enter the dark and murky world of maskirovka and discover the lengths that some people will go to for power and greed.
Cold COURAGE tells the epic tale of Shackleton's 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition and all that was happening in those extraordinary times.
Book four, Northern ECHO tells the story of two boys growing up during the punk rock revolution in the north of England, and how a dark secret keeps them apart until the end.
Gipsy MOTH is about his Aunt Nikki, her friend, and fellow Aviatrix, Amy Johnson, and Amelia Earhart on the other side of the pond during the golden age of aviation.
SS INDIGO is due to be released by the end of 2021 and tells the story of a group of eclectic guests invited by a mysterious billionaire to a luxury cruise in the Caribbean, they all have one thing in common.
All of Mitchell's books so far are novels, works of fiction, blended with real events. For further information or on how to buy his books, visit his author's website: