I get asked a lot how I wrote my first book? And why did I decide to write it in the first place?
The truth is I never planned to write a book. I was a journalist, and to me, about 1500 words were my limit, and then I was done.
Books are too difficult and take too long to write.
That was then, and this is now. I’ve written and had traditionally published two books, and I’m working on a third.
So, how did I go from a naysayer to an author? Interesting, you should ask. It was a circumstance that led me to become an author. I won’t go into the details here, and frankly, you don’t care. That is all I need to say. I am going to share with you my success in getting both of those books in front of agents and publishers and the process I used to make it happen.
So, here goes: How to Write a Book
· Begin with identifying a space where you can work in comfort and for periods of time. That usually involves a good chair and an ergonomic desk.
· Choose a topic you can stick with
· What is the genre?
· Create an outline, so you have a beginning, middle, and end. You don’t need all the solutions, but you do need to know where you are going?
· Do your research. While you may be writing fiction, most likely, you still need to do some research. I have a saying: There is a lot of fact in fiction.
· Look at your schedule and establish a routine for writing. Some people will have more time to devote to writing, but that doesn’t matter to you. This is not a competition. The only important thing is that you have a routine for getting the writing done. There is no tight deadline, but you should have something in mind based on your life and schedule.
· Give yourself weekly deadlines. It would help if you had a weekly goal. Then celebrate when you have achieved what you set out for yourself.
· Take writing courses, such as creating scenes and developing characters if you write fiction. For nonfiction, learn what you need to know about your topic and gather references for notation and citation.
· If possible, find a critique group where you share your chapters back and forth. That is the best way to get early feedback. Check with your local writing clubs or go online.
· Don’t be discouraged that your early words are not perfect. At the same time, getting good feedback saves you a lot of time having to rewrite an entire book from the beginning. This is all part of the process.
· Write your second draft based on all you have learned from the first one.
· Be sure to use a grammar checker throughout your book. Nothing worse than grammar errors.
· Are you ready to launch? How do you want to publish your book? There are many options: Traditional with an agent or direct to a publisher? Know that you will get lots of rejections, but as my agent told me in the beginning: All it takes is one.
· You have several options, though: A hybrid publisher where you share the cost of editing, etc. Or self-publish. This is all up to you, and don’t let anyone tell you one way is better than another. This is your book.
However, I will say one thing to you:
Before you can launch a bestseller, first you have to write one.