Author Interview – Will Linsdell – Drip By Drip

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed author Will Linsdell about his latest book release, Drip By Drip, what inspired his story, and the creative writing process behind it.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

My name is Will but I am known as Wilbur in certain quarters. I have worked in financial services for far too long, but love to travel to bring spice into my life. I also love to write and as well as my books I run a blog called Wilbur’s Travels.

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I think I first got the writing bug when aged five after I received three gold stars from my primary school teacher for my summation of ‘Peter & The Wolf’.

Fast-forward a few years and I started in the mid-nineties drafting the first two chapters of a travel book called ‘There’s No Place Like Away’. It never did get past those first two chapters however and I have no idea where the draft is anymore.

The seed was sown however!

When did you take a step to start writing?

I started writing properly in 2012 following a momentous achievement by my favourite football team, Manchester City. Having supported them since the age of 7, I instantly had the idea for a book encapsulating my life following the team over two pivotal seasons.

I pitched my idea to a publisher and was extremely fortunate to be commissioned to write it.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

A condition of the commission was that I had to write it from scratch in less than 3-months. From memory it was about 60,000 words, but it just flowed and I made the deadline.

How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?

This was a much slower burner. I got the initial idea in 2015 when I visited Cambodia. I had an outline of the plot and main characters figured out quite quickly, but due to a busy work life, writing my travel related book (Travelling By Train Across The Balkans) and time dedicated to charity work, it did not really get very far.

2019 was the year that I started writing in earnest and I pretty much finished the 85,000-word book by December that year and I finally published in 2020.

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write Drip By Drip?

I really wanted to try my hand at fiction, but lacked an inspiring subject matter. My visit to Cambodia changed all that as I witnessed the memorials to the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime alongside the majesty of the ancient ruins and the simply adorable Cambodians we met on the trip.

What were your biggest challenges with writing Drip By Drip?

It is set primarily in Cambodia but also in the UK, Vietnam, Thailand & Australia. Juggling time zones and locations was challenging at times.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonists?

There is definitely a bit of my wife and I in there! Having travelled a fair bit I have met lots of backpackers of all ages and Bill & Rachel Brown were definitely also drawn from a few that I have met over the years.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

Whilst in Siem Reap I became quite ill and was unfortunate enough to be at the hands of a doctor who turned out to be less than proficient. This extended my illness for much longer than should have been the case. Dr Yin, the fictional snake-like con artist was born in my mind!

What is the inciting incident of Drip By Drip?

Bill Brown becomes ill with food poisoning, and realising that he has been the victim of scam he starts meddling into things that he should have left alone in an effort to find out the truth.

What is the main conflict of Drip By Drip?

There are several unsavory incidents along the way and without giving too much away, there is a pretty climactic ending to the story.

Did you plot Drip By Drip in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

I actually winged a lot of it. Though I had a rough plot and the protagonists/antagonist set from the start, much else was free-flow style. I actually had the book two-thirds complete quite quickly, but it was only after leaving writing it for a few months that I returned to it to fashion the ending.

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Drip By Drip need?

I did this myself and must admit that it was quite painful. I kept moving punctuation marks around and polishing bits that did not read quite as intended. In the end I just decided to go with it. I hope that the strength of the story will forgive me any small typos!

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Do it.

The bulk of the writing can be done fairly easily. Every spare minute I got I would craft e-mails that I sent to myself, which I then inserted into the main draft. I soon found out that a full e-mail contains roughly 2,000 words. Dead time like commuting, waiting for a bus etc. can be used creatively.

Don’t do it for money or fame, do it for the love of writing. Anything else is a bonus.

Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?

I have lots of ideas. A sequel to Drip by Drip possibly, a children’s book and a couple more travel books – one in the former Soviet Union and one behind the rest of the old Iron Curtain, featuring travel by train.

And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?

Most definitely. I am pretty hopeless at blowing my own trumpet, but I think the book is rather good.

Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:

www.wilburstravels.com

www.hornbillpublishing.co.uk

@wilburstravels on Twitter

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Will-Linsdell/e/B00E9BVGCM%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

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