starting a book?

Question

Has anyone got any tips about writing a book. for example, where to start!! its something i would love to do but i feel that i dont have a clue! do a lot of people start with a brainstorm or go straight into it from the begining?

Answer 1

Good for you for wanting to start writing -- it's not for wimps!

From your question it's clear to see that you can, at least, put words together in understandable sentences. This is a good start, I'm not being condescending -- you beat the last two authors I had to read without even writing, they were virtually illiterate.

The way to write is to write. You can make a plan, most of the best writers do (it's very rare to write good books without planning) ... BUT, at the end of the day, you have to write.

Personally I start with a plot idea (what I want the story to be about) and then I start to fill in the characters who would make that story happen. I do a reasonably detailed outline of the plot and then start. Of course the plot changes as the characters do things I wasn't expecting, but that's fine and expected.

Don't worry about style or spelling or grammar at the beginning, just get the words down, get your thoughts on paper (or computer, whatever). If you use a computer switch off the grammar checker (computers are stupid, they don't know anything about grammar) and do without the spelling checker as well, they will just distract you from the job in hand.

You write it, then you put it aside for a few weeks. Ignore it.

Then you go back and be a reader instead of a writer. Make notes, jot down where things haven't worked, where you need to expand things, notice the spelling mistakes, the grammar errors. Then go through and correct it. And print out another fair copy -- and put it aside for a couple of weeks.

Then do it again. (You can switch on the spelling checker now, but make sure it is set for the country you are in -- don't use the US spelling checker for UK work and vice versa.)

After a couple of drafts you will now be in a position to go to someone else. Not a publisher or an agent, not yet, but find online (or offline) writing groups and critique groups. These people are not your friends and should give you an *honest* appraisal of the quality of your work.

You have to listen to what they say. If one person says "this bit didn't seem right" but you're happy then you can ignore them. But if two or three people say the same thing then there will be something wrong that needs correcting.

By the time you've gone through this process for a while (and at least a year has passed) you may be ready to start submitting t agents. You will need an agent for an autobiography.

You need to get the Writers & Artists Yearbook which lists all the agents. You find the ones that deal with autobiographies, it will say what they want (an outline, a couple of chapters whatever) ONLY SEND WHAT THEY ASK FOR. If you do anything else they will reject you instantly.

If you do not present yourself as a professional, they will reject you instantly. These people get hundreds and thousands of manuscripts sent to them every year, the only way they can whittle down the numbers is by using every possible error to reject. Even misspelling the company name on the envelope could result in rejection.

An agent will take you on IF (and only if) they think they can sell your book to a publisher. The agents know the market and if they don't think they can sell it they will not take you on.

This is one of the toughest businesses you can get in to. You will have your ego battered, and receive rejection after rejection after rejection -- potentially hundreds of them. A friend of mine, who is now a successful author, spent 15 years trying to get published and wrote 20 books that weren't accepted. He's now had four novels published and has three more in the pipeline.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Start with any fragment of the story that you have and get it down on paper, whether written in pen or wordprocessed. There's a brick wall that everybody gets of looking at a blank word document and wondering where to start. At least if yuo have a chunk of writing - doesn't really matter if it is from the beginning, the middle of the end, it's something to start with.
You might find that you have three or four lengthy sections eventually that you can then try to link up.
Find a time in the day when you can write. Keep to that time and avoid other things slipping into it. My wife writes a lot and does so after 10pm - it's just when she works the best.
As Kerouac (1950s US writer said) you have to stick at it 'with the enthusiasm of a benny addict'. It is a form of drug and once you are hooked it can take over large tracts of you life.

Answer 3

First you need to have a story to tell - a plot. Then you need to think up a cast of characters who will 'act out' the plot. Do not start writing immediately or you will quickly write yourself into a corner. Planning is everything in writing a book. Don't think in terms of chapters - think in scenes. Picture your characters acting out each scene. Your characters should have 'attitude' so that conflicts ensue. Also dialogue should take up 75% of the book or even more. Plot your book first.

Answer 4

hiya e book club Starters! Did you stumble on sturdy books yet? i'm able to propose some classics (because of the fact in classics you particularly don't have an age shrink). In technological understanding fiction i might initiate out with Orson Scott Card's "Ender's interest". that's great to confirm and has lots to communicate approximately: ethics, infants, exploitation, administration, and so on. the countless terrific journey novels have been written by Louis L'Amour, initiate with "The Lonesome Gods" or "The strolling Drum", lower back lots to debate approximately on the tip. the 1st actual western ever written is "The Virginian" by Owen Wister...awe-inspiring and fantastically written, even people who hate westerns like this one. i don't know any militia books. Irene

Answer 5

List down the ideas you have starting with the introduction then the main story line and finally an ending. Then sort out the characters and list them making notes of their sex and ages. Give them names. Expand on your story line as you develop ideas but sticking to the main theme. Once you are off and under way you should be OK.

Answer 6

I want to write one too! You can go to classes and there are many books on book writing in the library or at 'Borders'

Answer 7

Here is a good first line....

She sighed a silent scream as she fell into a dream...'

Just see where your imagination takes you!

Write the book for your own pleasure and you have more chance of others taking pleasure from reading it x

Answer 8

Planning and structure is key. Good luck! This website may help: http://www.oreilly.com/oreilly/author/index.html