Ah, Otago students, we know how it is. You're forever time poor; all those books, never enough time to actually read them. So, you can imagine Critic Te Ārohi’s surprise when we heard the cry: one of Otago's own is becoming an author! Here are the trials and tribulations it takes to make a book, in case doing an entire degree wasn’t hard enough.
Daniel Cromar, armed with a devilishly delightful beard, is the student-author in question. While Daniel is currently a first-year studying for a Bachelor of Performing Arts with a minor in writing, he certainly ain't a youngun, having spent some years working up in Lanarch Castle. Despite belonging to that class of students constantly forced to explain their age, there was still a sparkle in his eye when he told us his book's name — The Star Symphony, First Movement: The Kindling.
The Kindling is set to be a grand adventure in the "epic fantasy" genre. When Critic scratched our heads and chatted like a dumb monkey, Daniel patiently elaborated that the genre "deals with large-scale stories and larger-than-life themes," full of "myth and legend, like Lord of the Rings" (LOTR). Specifically, his book follows a boy and a girl as they navigate a world with ubiquitous magic, and are forced to work with a criminal mercenary and fugitive in order to combat a deadly conspiracy. Also, the pair are step-siblings. Eyebrows raised, people.
Myths have inundated the soon-to-be author with inspiration. For the benefit of all video game illiterates, Daniel unpacked Elder Scrolls as a brilliant example of deep worldbuilding that avoids becoming a distraction to crafting the actual story. "Fortunately, I have read all the [LOTR] books," he said (Critic initially heard ‘unfortunately’). The wandering length of those behemoth books is what Daniel likes about them, seeking to emphasise the journey and the need to overcome fearful obstacles in his work. Finally, Norse mythology. The World Tree, prominent animal characters, long sagas of battles and heroes, and the steadfast resolve to stand against insurmountable odds (Ragnarok) was the water he was drawing from this well.
Conversation then turned to talking about the man, myth, and maestro. Daniel described himself as always being a ‘drawer’, who was "interested in games, books, and movies", and a chronic daydreamer, getting the idea while (likely dozing off) at his job at Walt Disney World. But, he said, "It's one thing to write, another to publish." First setting out in 2019, Daniel sought to self-publish what was eventually whittled down to 400-500 pages. And that was after his editors convinced him to split the book in half – something Daniel now has in common with esteemed authors J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. The signs point to massive success.
"I may have bitten off more than I could chew,” laughed Daniel. But he finished, showing more patience than likely any other student around campus. Seeing the challenges in writing a whole book, the student-author became aware of the need to not scare students away from authorship. Self-publishing, he explained, preserves the author's creative control and ensures instant royalties, while going through a publisher does much the inverse, he believes. Prerogatives don't come cheap, however. Still, he was keen to stress that the $12,000 he had to raise was not the norm – starting by self-publishing a novella (short book) was more so.
We understand if this gets you fiending for that author title, and you're imagining how good your name would look on the front cover of a book. Certainly, we were scratching and frothing. Seeing this, Daniel left us with encouragement and a warning. He wants his readers to be inspired, to overcome frightening difficulties, just as he did over his authorship saga. However, he warned, "[writers], you will have missed something," so don't skimp on an editor.
Daniel hopes The Kindling will hit shelves near you in November.