Okay... So I'm Going to Try Writing My Own Meshi Isekai Story
This was something I thought about for a while
I don’t talk about it much in this publication, but I have wanted to be a novelist since I was a child. I was inspired to do this when I met a distant relative when I was about 8 years old. As adults tend to do, he asked me what my favorite hobbies/activities were. I mentioned I liked reading. It shouldn’t surprise you readers that I am a total bookworm. He response was, “Maybe you’ll write a book one day.”
The thought stuck in my mind since then. I’ve written for NaNoWriMo a few times. And as you can tell from reading these posts in this publication, you can also tell I read and watch a lot of stories. I’ve been wanting to explore doing isekai myself.
The Premise
The story idea I’ve had brewing for a while now has some commonality with Isekai Izakaya Nobu. Basically it’s a restaurant that’s based in this world, but the front door connects to another world. However unlike Nobu, the restaurant owners have a contract with a deity in the other world. Their mission is to not just introduce food to the other world, but help the kingdom evolve since the culture and development stagnated. The gods are getting frustrated, but there’s a limit to what they can do. Hence they need a “third party” to kickstart things.
I have to confess this isekai story was originally supposed to be a fanfic for ASOIAF! I was entertained by the idea of what would happen if a restaurant somehow isekai’d to Wintertown, which is the town near Winterfell. The problem with the idea is that Westeros is way too grimdark for an isekai like that to work. So I was retooling the idea into original fiction.
The current situation
My ASOIAF/GOT podcast, The Westerosi Primer, will soon be going on a hiatus as I have just 2 episodes left of the season. So one of the things I’ll be doing aside from continuing this publication is start writing the isekai I wanted to work on.
I’m currently debating whether I’ll be sharing my upcoming isekai here on Substack or on Ghost.org. My most productive fiction writing was actually back in high school and college when I used to write fanfiction. Not only did I write fanfiction, but I was also a member of a few Yahoo Groups dedicated to anime/manga fandoms. Some of them included fanfic writers. Anyone who created fan work would share and trade things with everyone else.
It’s occurred to me that maybe the reason why I have trouble staying motivated and finishing stuff is because I don’t get the feedback. I don’t get people offering comments to improve or even be cheerleaders. It gets discouraging. It’s my own problem I know.
That’s why I’m actually considering sharing my fiction online again. However unlike fanfic, which has to be free because you don’t own the copyright, original fiction I can paywall it if I wish. I’m currently considering doing a paywall situation.
Substack vs. Ghost
I’ve considered creating a publication on Substack for the fiction sharing. There’s potential audience built in Substack. However the thought occurred to me that if I managed to convince at least 3 people to pay for access, I’d probably be losing out money-wise if I posted on Substack instead of Ghost.org.
I have a few months to consider things. I’d like to get started on writing a few chapters first before I start sharing with other people. I’d like to make sure I produce some consistent content first. Once I start working on my podcast again, I’ll be losing some of the free time I would have used for writing the story. I think I’d like to spend at least 2-3 months just writing the chapters out and do some self-edit.
Then maybe towards September/October, I’ll make a decision and start sharing the story. It won’t just be this isekai, but I’ll probably share other stories I’ve been working on.
This publication will only be focused on reviews and the occasional commentary about stories I’ve watched or read. My original writing won’t be included on here other than maybe me sharing the first chapter of a story to promote wherever I choose to publish my fiction.
Stay tuned!
So what do you guys think. Would you be interested in reading my isekai? Leave a comment to let me know.