Would like to write a book?

Question

I would like to start writing a bood and I was just wondering how to get started.

Answer 1

I started my first novel not long ago, but the story is hugely complex and will require very much research. I haven't abandoned that project, but I've decided to put together an extremely simple (by contrast against the main project) short story so that I have (1) timely finished (2) in my style (3) a reasonably complete work.

The "timely finished" part is important to keep up my confidence in the main project, which won't be finished for years (and may require several volumes).

The "in my style" part is important because it distinguishes my effort from plagiarism or mere duplication of someone else's effort -- and it's good for my morale to reflect on my better writing.

"A reasonably complete work" in this instance is a story in which, within the scope of the tale, there are neither any obvious questions left unanswered nor issues reliant upon absurd leaps of logic for their solution.

The short story still requires a good bit of research effort; for instance, I have to learn about naval architecture -- which requires an understanding of the naval tactics (and the technology available, etc.) employed in the era about which I'm writing.

For me, the simplest way to start the mini project was to re-write someone else's story: the characters are already developed, and most of the "guts" of the story is already there -- but every story has a "back story" (what happened before the story began). You can do a lot with backstory.

The same goes for "happily ever after" endings. It's a bigger challenge, but you could explore what "happily ever after" means to your characters.

Note: (this is important) -- "Happily ever after" doesn't mean what *you* think it means, but only what your *characters* think it means.

Watch out for spelling and grammatical errors. If you're writing a serious work, avoid logical and continuity errors -- but those things can *sometimes* be exploited for comedic purposes (just don't go overboard with it, or you'll end up with something that's no fun to read).

I hope I've given you the "write" answer ;)

.

Answer 2

Why do you want to write a book? Why not build a house? paint a picture? make a record? learn an instrument? or run a marathon?

You see most people write a book because they have something to say or they want to tell a story. Nobody ever writes a book because they simply want to write a book, (well not a good one anyway).

Writting a book is A LOT of hard work, (some books are hundreds of pages long and then you have to get an editor and a publisher and so on and so on, it's a HUGE process) just like building a house from scratch is a lot of hard work and a huge process, so your reason for writting a book should come from something you feel passionate about or a story you feel you need to tell people, otherwise you won't see it through.

So my advice is to find out what you want to write about. It should be something that you know something about or something you would enjoy researching. Ask yourself, "what do I feel passionate about?" and go from there.

Good luck, I know you will come up with something. I hope I'll see your name on the best seller list someday!!!

Answer 3

Well, good luck! I think there's no "right" answer for this, because it's going to come from you- and you're going to know your writing style (and what you want to come out of it!) best.

One writer, Marisa Montes, suggests not writing from an outline. She just brainstorms her ideas and creates a very loose outline (a series of possible scenes). She keeps a journal of her brainstorming, mini-outlines, notes about things to research, ideas for scenes, and reasons why things are/aren't working. She suggests trying to figure out your plot from a "What-if" technique. "What if this happens? What if that happens next?" This helps create a tightly plotted story. A tightly plotted story is made up of a series of scenes, each of which is causally connected to the other—if this happens, then that happens, and that happens, etc. If you take out any causally connected scene, it leaves a big, obvious gap in the storyline and the reader wonders how the writer got from here to there.

To make HER stories more exciting, she avoids the linear plot structure and instead a more complex plot structure. The complex plot doesn't just go in a straight line: A happens, then Character B does this and C occurs. A "complex plot" doesn't move in a straight line, it wiggles all over as it becomes complicated by subplots.

Her main philosophy though is "Write from the heart—don't write for trends or to impress someone. Truly write what you feel." I'd have to agree with her on this... you're going to pour your heart and soul into, and this is what's going to attract and keep your readers- not that you were trying to impress!

Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

With a true book that you are likely to finish, the start will come naturally. Just think about your story idea and go with it.

If you're still completely stumped, so what i do...write about thinking about something to write...like a diary, etc.

Answer 5

Find useful tips, articles and links about writing at

http://www.hot8sites.com/writng-tips/