WELCOMEBETAREADER
Thanks for helping me polish my book Hold Shift to Run.
This has been a passion project of mine for the last year however, I've wanted to write this book for around 15 years now.
Hold Shift to Run is my story of surviving a toxic childhood, trauma and navigating the effects it has on me through my life. It's a story of resilience, growth and ultimately, learning to cope with my condition through therapy and other theraputic means.
It's a deeply personal account of my experiences, the impact it has had on me and how I learned to cope by diving into video games which became my safe space. I talk about what the games meant to me and how their characters helped me to feel a sense of safety and belonging.
Brutal, honest, and raw, Hold Shift to Run is a testament to endurance and an insight into the untold traumas of boys taught to hide from their pain. This is the story of a child who kept playing even when life seemed unwinnable, and who had the courage to step back into reality when it seemed like game over.
Some chapters have audio narration
Audio Narration: I've trained a voice model with over 2 hours of me reading in a narrative tone. This is available in some chapters if you see the icon next to the chapter title.
This is currently in beta but I am really interested in feedback on how it sounds. I am also considering doing a full audio book version of the book if there's interest.
AI Placeholder Images
The next phase is to take the book to an editor to finalise everything for print. I also have to hire an illustrator for the book OR make the illustrations myself. Meanwhile, I've used Midjourney to add images for now to set the stage a bit.
The final product will have hand drawn illustrations which will look and feel much better but for now, these will at least set the stage a bit.
One Last Thing
Please note that the final presentation for the book will be different from the draft you are reviewing. Please be open and honest about your feedback, feelings, triggers or anything that you thought or felt along the way.
I haven't used any AI in writing this book, just a lot of reflection, raw content from the past and a year of discussions as to how to present the story without deviating from the actual lived experience.
Thank you for the help.