What is the best way to write a book?

Question

At the moment I am trying to write a book of fiction,
that at times can be difficult because my vocabulary is limmited.
Is there a dictionary for writers out there and are there a set of structures to follow? This will be my first, so I will be gratefull
for all the help I can get.

Answer 1

If you are wanting to write fiction for the sake of marketing the story, then 'The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing' by Evan Marshall, can definitely help you along . The Marshall Plan will help you with the setup for your book, with character studies, protagonist/antagonist selection, plot devices, scheduled conflicts, etc. It will also show you how to plan your novel in an outline format that you can follow as a guide while writing.

If you are wanting to write literature (EDIT: Not specific to literature. Great for Fantasy and Romance genres, or action adventure) , I suggest reading 'The Hero With a Thousand Faces', by Joseph Campbell . It will take a lot longer to read, and is more of a study than a How-to, but it will give you some great insights on how to successfully incorporate heroic traits into your novel.

Other than that, I LOVE 'No Plot, No Problem' by Chris Baty, the creator of National Novel Writing Month(NaNoWriMo). If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo, you should check it out. It's an absolutely fun way to write a 50,000 word novel in one month; the Marshall Program and a healthy dose of stream of consciousness writing are great helpers with this event.

note: I'm not a fan of the Marshall Program because of its promotion of writing only for the sake of sale, but it has great suggestions for outlining. I'm of the opinion that art created for the sake of sale undermines the intention of true art, unless the act of the sale is the artistic expression intended. Call me a purist, lol.

Answer 2

You have some barricades to over come. I'd suggest that you begin by writing short stories, articles, or essays.

At the same time get some good books on fiction writing (www.writersdigestbooks.com) or the library. There are also magazine (The Writer, Writers Digest, to name two and they may be online too) that have articles and advice.

In the end, writing and rewriting is how we learn, but you will need a good critique partner (an unbiased party) to help you.

Its a lot of work, don't give up. Good luck.

Answer 3

The best way is to sit down and WRITE. You're doing fine. Whenever you use a word and are not satisfied with it click on your tool bar and you can get synonyms. Very useful and easy.
If that is not enough try How to Grow a Novel By Sol Stein.
Very helpful.

Answer 4

Read good books.

Use Thesaurus.com -- a great resource(or a real thesaurus).

Also sign up for a word-a-day to be sent to your email to strengthen your vocabulary (dictionary.com offers this).

Skim resources on etymology (study of word origins).

Look at lists of SAT words and their definitions (available online).

My site does a "Romance Writer's Word of the Day" on weekdays (we also stray into terms commonly used in other genres, too).

And then--read some more. ;-)

Good luck!
~Saoirse

Answer 5

You should not be trying to write a book, you should be reading more books. I can't imagine that your problem is your vocabulary. If you can't put across your message, then you need to go back to elementary school. You may be trying to put in big words when you don't need to use big words; stop that.

And the best way to write a book, one word after another.

Why don't you start with short stories?

Answer 6

Open thesaurus.com and keep it as an open window when you are writing. lt will offer you a myriad of choices of words and keep you from being repetetive. Keep it saved as a bookmark. Pax - C