by Chris Harris
If I’m going to write a blog about writing a book, I first need to explain the background, my meagre history in writing, the motivations, the book, the false starts, and the odd detours that got me here. Over the next couple of weeks I will write half a dozen blogs so you can get to know about what I am doing and the sort of person I am, hopefully!
I certainly didn’t look like an aspiring writer in the making. I went to a crummy public school in the late ’70s and early ’80s, scraping out with two O-levels. Looking back at my failings, my struggles with concentration might now be described as sitting somewhere on the spectrum of mental health or learning conditions. Nothing extreme, but enough to make focusing difficult. Combine that with a school that believed the best way to teach grammar and writing was through practice, not explanation, and the result was a very underwhelming education.
Moving to a state sixth form college in Haywards Heath made all the difference. The teachers were empathetic, the atmosphere less brutal. I actually left with enough grades to get into university — but by then I was done with education. At the ripe old age of 17 I started my own business instead.
From then until I was about 40, the only thing that connected me to writing was that I was always reading — and reading well. The classics, thoughtful novels, non-fiction. A poor education never dulled my hunger for ideas or great prose.
The Fanzine Years
Somewhere along the line, through reasons too tangled to explain here, I became editor of a Lewes FC football fanzine. Hardly Fleet Street, but it gave me a platform. My grammar was poor, I was long-winded, and repetition was my trademark. Fortunately, my co-editor and friend Chris regularly knocked my copy into shape.
That was the real hurdle: every time I wrote anything, I needed someone to edit it. Still, the fanzine gained traction, and before long a few small national football publications asked me to contribute. I even managed to get long pieces into the highly revered Football Pink, which, for someone with my background, felt like a minor miracle. They still regularly ask me for contributions, although my fee of £0.00 may contribute to that.
From Fanzine to Blog
As the fanzine fizzled out, I set up a blog in 2013. For a while, it drifted. Then in 2022, something very big happened at Lewes FC and exploded onto the national football pages. I found myself pulled back in, and this time I took the blog seriously.
By then I’d discovered Grammarly, and later, artificial intelligence. For the first time, I could write and edit largely on my own. The results surprised me: the blog grew, developed a readership far beyond Lewes, and last year alone was read in nearly 100 different countries.
The Pivot
Four months ago, my partner decided she wanted to move into education, so we began winding down our business, the same one I started 41 years ago, no need to question my stamina and resolve. That gave me the opportunity to go part-time, and I decided to use that extra time to broaden the blog and finally start my first book.
Then, in true twist of fate fashion, she changed her mind and chose to stay in the business after all. My newfound hours evaporated. Fortunately, we work in the vintage trade, a job I love so much it feels more like a hobby, so I can’t complain. But it left me with a choice:
- Continue growing the blog, which takes 75% of its time just to manage social media, visuals, and distribution.
- Or write the book, which means actually writing 90% of the time.
Ten days ago, I made my choice. The fictional village of Denham won!
What’s Next
The next blog post will be about the book itself: the subject, the structure, and why I’m approaching it in a particular way. I’ll post later in the week.
#Writing A Book #Content Creation #Novice Novelist #Writing Fiction #Writing for Dummies
Welcome to Denham nr Lewes 