Debut author beams with pride over 1st novel
After months of rereads and rewrites, a debut author from Greenhills is finally reaping the rewards of his hard work with the release of his first book.
After having published his first novel, writer Shaun Strydom shares why he loves putting pen to paper.
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The science fiction and fantasy book lover started writing his novel, Amber Glow, earlier this year. He just sat down and started writing, and spent about five hours a day on it. His goal was 2 000 words daily, however, he was so inspired that he surpassed his goal.
“The story for Amber Glow had been in my head for months, maybe years, and after I read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, I was inspired to start writing,” Shaun explained.
Once I started, I couldn’t stop, even when I was doing something like mowing the lawn, the story played out in my head like a movie,” said Shaun.
He shared a quick synopsis of his novel with the Randfontein Herald.
“The story is about two main characters, both men, with their girlfriends. One is on an alien planet with very strict rules. There is something they call ‘falling sky machines’ and they would like to know what it is, but it is against the rules to go near it. Early in the morning and at night, there is something that looks like a bright star, only bigger, that has been there for many years, and it is the ‘Amber Glow’.
“The second character is on a spaceship. They had to leave Earth in 2050 when something happened that threatened all life. On the ship, people are only born every 10 years to reach the planet in a few hundred years. You follow the second character through the years of his life; they are the generation that will reach the planet, but problems arise.”
Shaun noted there were a few moments he thought he was done and it felt great having reached his goal of 80 000 words, but after having reread the novel about five times, the word count was up to 90 000. That was when he decided he was done. However, after a suggestion from his editor, he added another piece to the story.
When it was finally complete, I felt great!”
Currently working as a production manager, he hopes to become a full-time writer one day.
His second novel is halfway, adding that he started working on it as soon as the first novel was sent to his editor. The second one is a post-apocalyptic novel, and the main character is a 16-year-old girl trying to survive her circumstances.
For prospective writers, Shaun shares some valuable advice.
“The best thing is to just start and see if it works for you. I’m what they call a panzer; I have the basic idea, but my characters tell their own story as they go. With that said, the best thing is to just start writing. If you have a story in your head, the only way you’ll get it out is to write it,” Shaun concluded.
The novel is available on Takealot and Amazon, or people can contact Shaun directly on 082 482 2634.
