How would I start to write a book?

Question

Okay so i am 14 years old and my mom was sentenced to 10 months in prison for fraud and all this she is almost done now and she and some of her friends in there are going to write a book about what its like from inside a federal prison but i want to or am thinking about writing a book about the children who get left with family members while their mothers are serving time and how to deal with it and yeah what do you think about it. How would I start the book out or start to brainstorm it can you help me

Answer 1

Just sit down and write what is on your mind and go from there.You can also brain strom about every thing to.Hope you write ur book =].

Answer 2

Writing is difficult; not because you don't have anything to write about, but because you may find yourself unhappy with what you have written. The key is to not erase anything, because even if you don't like it, you can use it again later for your second book.
Now, sit down and start typing. Use a computer program like Word, where you can make a back-up copy of everything you have written, because you will drive yourself bonkers if you get 3/4 of the way through it and lose your original due to computer glitch. Don't store the back-up on the same computer.
When you first start, you will find that it doesn't seem to flow very well. Don't worry; just keep typing. You will go through later and re-arrange what you have written to make more sense.
Finally, forget about having an outside life. Once you start writing, and the words start flowing out of you, you will find that it consumes all of your free time. This isn't a bad thing, because what you are doing is creating art. It may not be art that ever makes you a billionaire, but it will be beautiful because it is what is inside of you.
You are embarking on a journey that has no end, as you will find yourself thinking of multiple stories while you are writing the one. Now get on your knees and thank God for the person who gave us the ability to cut, paste, and edit our stories as we go.
Have fun, good luck, and consult your doctor about the effects of typing constantly.
One last thing. There is a site called Helium at www.helium.com. It is filled with wannabe writers, and you may find yourself tempted to spend a lot of time there writing for pennies. Don't bother. They will steal your stuff and you will be left with 10 cents for your efforts. however, if you need a forum where writers talk, that may be a good place to start.

Answer 3

Sure. Start by writing down your important ideas in a notebook. Just brainstorm. Write anything you can think of. What it is like to visit there ... What it was like when your mom first left ... anything ... Then try to put those ideas in an order and form an outline. Start at the beginning ... Maybe her trial, her sentencing ... and go forward. Make each chapter of the book a different part of your story. Add any details that you can remember. Work on one chapter at a time and focus on remembering as you are writing. Take your time. It will take you quite a while. Remember that you don't want to reveal people's real names. Change things around. After you have written the whole story the way you remember it, you might even want to go back in and change it to fiction by adding some fictional incidents. It would make a great read. Good luck to you. It sounds like a great idea to me. Pax - C

Answer 4

You should probably start by making an outline of you ideas, so that when you start to write, you don't forget the major ideas that you want to include in your book. I am also 14, and I recently started to write a fantasy love story. You should probably outline the character's personalities before you start writing, just so you don't forget what you want to write about.

good luck, hope this helps.

Answer 5

What a great idea...I really admire you for doing such a positive thing.
First of all, I would suggest you start a diary...be honest and put in everything you feel about the situation. Try to remember how you felt and what happened when you first found out about her going to prison...how did you cope with family life when she went? What is it like visiting her?

I think a publisher would grab at a book like this as other teens in similar situations could read it like a self help book.

Dont worry too much about grammar and chapters at this stage, just get it down...write every day, even when you dont feel like it...write in your own voice as you speak.

Editors will fix any mistakes when you are done...it is the truth of the situation that matters.

I would love to read anything you want to share...good luck...

Answer 6

I think that is a great idea. You basically just sit down at the computer and start typing. You could start in the present day and reflect back. Or you could start the day it all began. And then, perhaps you should contact a publisher to help you do this.

"Most kids my age are so annoyed that their parents embarrass them in front of their friends. They call them by their pet names. They are not up on what's 'hip' with their friends. They wear clothes that are totally LAME. But what could be worse than having to explain to your friends that your Mom is in prison and you're living with your aunt?" Etc. You know. Something like that. Then go back to where it all started, how you felt, etc.

Good luck and bummer about your Mom. But you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders. Learn from her mistakes.

Answer 7

You think a while and then write whatever's in your head. I usually have a good idea for a plot and then I just write. Don't worry if you think it's bad, it usually isn't. Just write how you felt when you were left behind.

Answer 8

Well... just let how you felt flow down onto paper. You could start the book like: Have you ever felt lonesome? That's how I felt when my mom left. Then you could just go from there telling about how you felt. Or you could do like you're talking about a normal day when your mom was away: It was a Saturday, my favorite day of the week, but today it wasn't. My home didn't feel like one anymore, ever since my mom left.
Hope I helped! :o)

Answer 9

Sit down and write about what life what like for you without your mom there. Did kids tease you because of it? What kind of struggles did you face? Just write about your life for the ten months. Maybe try to get in contact with other kids with parents in prison and see what life was/is like for them. Hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 10

Re-scetch the details of your main and potential characters - start with 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 new 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

Answer 11

wow. i am so sorry. that's awful.

but here's how you do it.

1.get an idea.

2. outline(exposition/opening info, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, anything following)

2. write out details for your outline in each section

3. fill out the whole story. get to work. be dedicated. and good luck.

4. come up with a title. you won't know what fits until the end. plus coming up with a title will make the whole thing feel concrete.

i hope to see your book. i'll read it if i see it.