Many of us have at one point or another wanted to write a book. It’s an interesting and fulfilling goal or hobby. The first question I would ask is why do you want to write a book? Why now? It turns out that a lot of people who say that they want to write a book have trouble getting started or continuing when things don’t go as planned. In this blog, I take you through my step-by-step process for starting and finishing a book that you can use to pursue publishing.
How to Know if You’re Ready to Write a Book
Before we set you up with a book-writing plan that you can be sure you can execute, there are some items you should consider. We can call this a checklist because we have to determine if you are in fact ready to write your book. If you don’t check enough items on this list, then the likelihood that you won’t finish your book will increase. So, go down the list and see if you can check all the boxes:
1. Do you have the time/motivation?
Don’t underestimate the time it will take to write a book. There are lots of tutorials out there that claim to help you write a book in a month or sometimes less, and while these work for lots of people, the process from start to finish can take much longer. There’s no real time frame, but one thing is for certain: if you want to publish a book, you have to be willing to set aside time to work.
2. Are you willing to invest time in other skills?
You are going to have to learn other skills if you’re going to write a book. The main one is editing, but it should not be overlooked that the quality of your writing will probably improve while you’re writing, especially if this is your first time. This means that the final product will be the result of lots of editing and rewriting. It’s a tough reality to come to terms with, but there’s no way around it. If it’s worth writing, it’s worth rewriting as well.
3. Are you a reader?
If you don’t read but your goal is to become a writer, then you’ll have to become a reader as well. The main reason is that you will absorb and learn so much from other writers about the art of storytelling and style. When you’re developing your voice and putting words onto the page, you draw from inspiration. If you don’t read, you won’t have those, and you also won’t be actively learning and consuming that which you desire to contribute. Musicians don’t complain about having to listen to music. The same should be true for writers and reading.
4. Are you looking for fame/wealth?
If this is you, then that’s understandable. It’s even possible. However, it’s also extremely unlikely. Even some very successful and noteworthy writers out there don’t make enough money from their writing to sustain themselves on that alone. If you are really set on making money, I would also suggest sprinkling in some other motivations, like self-improvement, the desire to learn more about yourself, art for the sake of art, and so on. These goals or ends, in my opinion, are more sustainable. They’ll keep you grounded and focused throughout the long and challenging process.
How to Write a Book
1. Plan
The planning aspect of your writing journey can help immensely when it comes to execution. Some writers don’t do much planning, and that works for them. The important thing is to at least do some preliminary work. Think about your story, who you want to write about, what themes you want to explore, and what the plot structure will generally look like. If it’s your first time writing a story I would suggest filling in one of our character worksheets or looking at a list of character flaws to draw inspiration from.
To outline your novel, you don’t need anything fancy. I wouldn’t stress too hard about what goes into one of these outlines, regardless of what medium you choose to produce one. The purpose of outlining is to give you an idea of how your story is going to pan out. You don’t want to reach the halfway point and get stuck, although this still can happen. An outline just makes it easier for you to just write instead of having to pause to figure out what happens next as you go.
2. Pick a time and place
Some people don’t write best when they’re scheduling themselves. But think of it like this: it’s so easy to procrastinate, why not just try to set aside a specific time and day to write and see how it goes? I’d be willing to bet you’ll progress a lot faster than if you weren’t slotting your times. For instance, try writing Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for an hour starting at 8 p.m. This will make it clear to you that this time and hour is specifically for writing. If you decide that you want to change things up the next week, there’s no rule saying you can’t do that. I like having a schedule because it keeps you serious about completing your project, and you teach yourself to commit to it even when you don’t feel like writing.
3. Don’t edit while you write - just write
Some writers, especially new ones, feel the impulse to start editing while they write. I can tell you from experience that this isn’t a good use of your time. When you’re writing a book, switching your focus midway to editing can mix you up. Stay focused on just getting the words down without overthinking about whether you’re using the optimal word, if that sentence should be deleted, and so on. There’s a time and place for all of that when you finish the first draft and start editing.
4. Think about conflict
The key to writing a great story is to break it apart into basic pieces. Consider a scene: when you’re writing one, you should be thinking about conflict and tension. How are you using this scene to build on something already established? What does it contribute to the story? How can I raise the stakes in this scene? These are some things to ask yourself when you’re constructing each scene and crafting each sentence. Each scene should be so necessary that without it the story wouldn’t make sense. This includes dialogue as well.
5. Write a kickass opener
The opening pages of your story are by far the most important when it comes to landing an agent. This is because when you send a query letter, most agents want to see the first chapter. If you don’t have a strong hook or nothing happens to the character that thrusts them into a world of chaos, then you likely won’t sell anyone on wanting to read the rest of the story. A strong opener should have clear stakes for the main character. Something drastic needs to happen to them that forces them to make a decision that changes their lives. The inciting incident should ideally happen within the first few pages.
This is how ScreenCraft defines the inciting incident: “the moment, event, or decision that thrusts the main character into the action of the story.”
6. Embrace the growing pains
Deciding to write a book is a brave choice. It won’t be easy. You’ll have moments when you question whether it’s wise to try to finish. You might also consider starting over. My suggestion is to take these feelings along for the ride. Don’t try to go for perfection, embrace imperfection. You’ll find that in acquiescing to the reality that there will be challenges, you permit yourself to derive joy from simply writing, rather than fixating on a fantasy or a goal that isn’t necessarily realistic.
Conclusion
Congrats on deciding to start writing a book! You can now start calling yourself a writer. Start planning and give it all you got. But don’t forget that just because it gets hard or you discover your idea isn’t turning out the way you thought it would, don’t panic. Take some time off from writing to regroup. Everyone needs to take breaks and the last thing you want to do is tarnish the joy of writing and learning a new skill.
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