how to write a book?

Question

i'm going to wirte a book but i have never done that before, so how do i start, what should l make sure to do and not to do?

Answer 1

This is one skill which never can be taught.
Just take out your pen and start writing.
Only then it will be your style.
If I tell you how to write and you write, then it would be my style.
So write in your own style.

All the best.

Answer 2

how I started my book, basically I took a basic idea that I enjoyed reading about and twisted it all around. But I'm writing a romance novel, so that's what you have to do for that genre (every basic idea has been done 20 times over). The best thing to do, is wait until NanoWrimo starts (November) http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and start your novel then. That is when I started my book and I got a lot of help from fellow participants in shaping my idea and plot idea. Though I didn't complete the novel in the 30 days, I didn't scrap it as I intended to finish it before the next one and start my next novel in the same way.

You need to get a basic plot outlined out and ask yourself all kinds of questions about the story. The easiest way for a story to flop is that you have a plothole you didn't know about and there is no way to fix it later without having to go back and change many details.

Getting it written is the biggest challenge. Write everyday. Give yourself a quota you have to keep. Maybe you choose to write 4000 words each day. If you fall behind, you gotta keep up the next day. Stay on track and don't get lazy and put it off and put it off, you'll never get it done that way.

Answer 3

I was told once by a journalism writer during school you should write for the ears and not the eyes. He didn’t mean how it sounds when being broadcast on TV or radio, but it’s how it sounds when you read it silently to yourself. Does it flow fluently? Can you read it easily and enjoyably?

Another tip I learnt when writing is to show not tell. When possible that is. It’s far more effective to be shown a character acting eccentric or evil than being told they are eccentric or evil. It’s also a clever to write in scenes because it shows what the characters and his/her environment is like and sets the mood for the story.

Cliches = death. Avoid them. Originality and cleverness are key ingredients. No one wants to read recycled garble. However thats not stay you couldn't make fun of cliches as well.

Avoid Mary Sue and Gary Stu type characters. These characters are known as being portrayed in an overly idealized way and lacking noteworthy or realistic flaws. They also can have such flaws like having a tragic past or being shown as instantly cool and likable.

From personal experience, let the characters come to you. Once they do listen to what they have to say. Let them tell you what they are about, what they stand for, what they look like and even what their name is. It sounds strange but once you start writing you'll know what I mean.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Plan it out first. Write an outline and list out the conflicts and conclusions to them. Most importantly, a main thesis or your main point of the entire book.

Very complicated when starting stories and books. I've written over 5... but have never finished them... You need lots of patience and time to sit down for this.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Here are a few tips
Ten Tips for Writing a Publishable Novel
by Leslie Caine
1) Write from the inside out.
Determine what is fascinating about you, as well as what you find fascinating in life, and write from your unique perspective. That we each possess a story that we alone can write is the biggest advantage any of us have in the publishing industry. Use it!


2) Anchor every scene with telling details.
Allow your reader to easily form a mental picture. Remember to remind readers what your characters look like and give your characters a tag so that they can be sorted out quickly. This allows your action to feel real and pulls the reader into your story.


3) Establish author authenticity, which is what allows your reader to suspend disbelief.
Authenticity is established by seamlessly blending factual information into your story by virtue of those “telling details.” Authenticity is not achieved by the author’s simply knowing that his story is “how it really happened.”


4) Accept the possibility that you might be writing or have written the wrong book.
We writers are too often derailed at criticism of our early attempts at fiction. We can keep trying to improve our initial work, as though we’re incapable of selling any manuscript if we can’t sell this particular one. No writing is ever wasted. You will carry what you’ve learned to your next manuscript.


5) Start immediately before the inciting incident that will shift the balance of your main character’s life.
Let your reader in on how things were before this key shift of power occurred that has changed the hero’s life. That’s the fastest way to engage your reader in the story.


6) Build your plot so that each action leads to a reaction that heightens the suspense.
The adult novel typically requires twenty plot points in which an action is taken or a discovery is made that forces the characters to react.


7) Never let your character eat an apple when he can be eating fried Cheerios.
This is another way of saying: Make every word count. If you can, in this example, show your character eating something unusual, you enliven your prose and characterize at once.


8) Wonderful, compelling characters can compensate for almost anything.
We read fiction for characters. Without them, the plot is just a string of events, and we can read about events in the newspaper. As you write, remember that each and every one of your characters has lived for many years before page one takes its first snapshot of their lives.


9) Conflict is the heart and soul of fiction.
Strand your hero on the face of a cliff and throw rocks at him. When you’re being nice to your hero or heroine, you’re being bad to your book. Keep the conflict—and hence the suspense—going till the very end.


10) Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.
It’s surprisingly tempting to send off a manuscript when the writer knows it’s not quite as good as it can be, or to send it to an editor or agent who isn’t looking for this type of work. That provides a ready excuse for why the book was rejected, but also all-but guarantees that it will be.



TW K

Answer 6

Writing a Novel Synopsis

http://www.fictionwriters.com/tips-synopsis.html

http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html

http://www.fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue%2015/workshop.htm

http://www.writing-life.com/fiction/synopsis.html


How to Write a 'Darned Good' Novel

http://www.write101.com/dgnovel.htm

http://secretgeek.net/nonwriter.asp

7 tips for writing a novel

Getting started on that novel you've always wanted to write. Some tips that may help you.

http://tn.essortment.com/novelwritingti_rsim.htm

Eight Tips to Write Your Novel Faster

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2190/eight_tips_to_write_your_novel_faster.html

Making Time to Write a Novel

http://www.howtobooks.co.uk/leisure/writing/write-novel.asp

Answer 7

Scetch details of your main characters - looks, mannerisms, background, etc. Write the details down - or even draw them if you are a visual person.

Then take your main character or characters and imagine them in some odd/out of the ordinary (out of your current work's context) places or scenarios – anything goes! Write down ideas on what would have to happen to your type of character or how they would react to the scenario you placed them in.

This may seem futile, but it will help you flesh out your characters further and give you insight into what you may want to happen to this type of character in a potential story. You may even come up with multiple story lines and can see if one of them just seems to be the best or easiest to continue

Strong well-crafted main characters can inspire readers to love your story as well as drive you to write a great story for these imagined beings to be in! :-)

This should get you going. Then you may want to write an outline of you story (a kind of synopsis), including the ending. I have heard that John Irving writes his endings first, down to the last line, and works backwards. The idea of the outline is to give you goals as you proceed. Writing the ending first may give you the "spark" you seek - and also give you something to strive for.

Answer 8

"so how do I start"??? Is the story not telling itself to you?
The way it works for me is... the story tells itself to me, basically in beats, then I lay down an outline of those beats... Make sure the story tracks all the way through, if it doesn't... fix it till it does (easier to fix it now) Then get started... Oh, and then re-write it, and re-write it, and re-write it... It's not fun, good luck.