I want to write a book ... any tips?

Answer 1

I would suggest starting by reading as much as possible, both in the genre(s) you plan on writing, and books that cover different aspects of writing and grammar. My personal favorite books on writing include:

1) "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser-- This is an excellent reference for any kind of writing. It will make your emails, essays, stories, and other writing clearer. I recommend this to everyone who wants to improve their writing skills.

2) "Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" by Anne Lamott-- This is slightly more geared towards fiction writing, but can be helpful when you are attacking ANY large project in your life. Definitely a must for creative writers, students, or people who are looking for an entertaining book on writing.

3) "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. This definitely targets creative writing, and focuses on the practice of writing. I write a lot of poetry and am working on a novel, and this is incredibly motivational to me. Practicing your writing every day will help teach you how to put those ideas together.

4) "On Writing" by Stephen King. This really contains two different stories-- one that is his life, and another which is lessons to writers.

Just to name a few, that is!

As for the writing itself, you just have to sit down and do it. I'd suggest picking a topic that you are passionate about instead of worrying about what others might like to read. Write something you love, and don't worry about the writing being of a high quality the first time around. Editting is the time when you will make everything sparkle-- for now, just get your story down on paper, no matter how rough your draft!

But first, you have to get that thing written! Happy writing and good luck!

Answer 2

These work for me anyway... Though everyone is different of course...

Try to write about things you know-- if you're book is on something that you can't possibly know about (ie a science fiction novel) try to relate things in the book to stuff you do know.

Write the story from the beginning to the end, instead of jumping around within the story.

It's useful to have someone take a look at what you've written every so often.

Don't get discouraged if the first draft isn't as good as you want it to be. All books need revision.

Good luck!

Answer 3

It really depends on if you have any experience, and what you want to write, and if you want to get it published. I you have a lot of experience, then it really comes down to what you want to write about. Obviously you'll need to find the time, and the energy to invest yourself in a subject that makes you want to write. If you don't want to write it, its not going to be very good. But, again, if you do have a lot of experience, I'm not going to be much help. If you don't have much experience, start writing, right away. Write everyday. I don't know much, but I have taken a lot of writing classes, one of them being creative writing. And whether its fictional or not, every class stresses the same thing, write, write, write. When you find your flow, and your thoughts come out on the page more efficiently, start writing what book you want to write. Start on it, and make a lot of drafts. Another thing they stress in writing classes, is "not even a professional can write something perfect the first time." You should have a lot of drafts, and you should have as many people as you can to give you input. Thats all really basic stuff you may already know, but if you want my personal opinion, I think I'll say this. Nothing you write is so important, that you can't delete it. If you can't delete some of your work to improve it, or change ideas, you wont get anywhere too fast.

Answer 4

Know your material. If you're writing in a historical context, know what you're talking about!
If you have a definitely direction in which you want your book to go, write it down. Sometimes an outline helps.
And make sure that much of your exposition isn't too obvious, like a character blatantly explaining something to another character who would know the information.

Answer 5

I share the same dream. Here are some tips...

1. Don't give up.
2. If you want some criticism, show someone who won't lie to you. Friends are great and all, but they may go soft on you.
3. Seriously put your mind to it.
4. No one is pressuring you to do anything a certain way. Go wild being yourself!

I hope that helps you out! Good luck!

Answer 6

Read a book called "writing down the bones" it would help you in this respect.

If you are writing none fiction, then your book needs to be well researched(unless it has some original ideas)

Answer 7

If you had to read one book to learn how to write a story, it's "Story" by Robert McKee.

Also, check out the tutorials on http://www.storyentertainment.com

Answer 8

Write it first and then you can ask for tips.

Answer 9

write it about something that greatly interests you, it will make it easier to write. also, try basing the characters lightly on people you know: it will make them easier to write about.

Answer 10

www.writeabooknow.com