Almost everyone, when discussing a subject they are interested in, conclude with the words “I should write a book about that”. Usually this is just a throw away comment to end the discussion and later when you think about what they said, you discard it, because the thought of actually writing a book is too daunting.
Why not re-consider, and have a look at some steps to writing a book which may well have you changing the original words to “I can write a book about that”.
There are indeed many challenges to overcome, and perhaps the first is figuring out how to make the time available during an already busy day.
Time and Place
The first of your steps to writing a book is establishing a work space. Your work space in your home should be in an area where you are able to be comfortable, gather your thoughts, and put them down on paper without being disturbed.
Okay that’s fine I hear you say, but I have a full time job, and live in a very busy house where it is difficult to remain un-disturbed for too long, so what do I do? You may have to look at the time you are alone, could you rise a little earlier and go to bed a little later, giving yourself some time alone.
Spend your lunch break somewhere quiet where you can jot down thoughts and ideas in peace. If you are determined, then have a talk to family members or roommates, ask them to co- operate by giving you consideration, if you let them know how serious you, are they probably will.
Target Audience
The second of the steps to writing a book is to be clear who your target audience is going to be, as this will decide for you what kind of story you will write, the length, and the complexity of the plot. Give some thought to what your chosen audience want to read about most, research bestselling books for the various age groups of children, if you have chosen to write a children’s book for toddlers for example. Will it be for them to read, or for it to be read to them? Carry out a similar exercise regarding the age groups if you are targeting the adult audience.
The preferences for readers in their twenties could be career advancement, adventure and romance, Where as older age groups may be looking for finance literature, and health matters. Once you have chosen your audience do some research. Find out which types of books are popular with them, and why. You need to know what it is that gets them reading these books, and equally what puts them off.
If you can, get hold of some of the books that are popular and read them to get a real feel of why they are chosen by the majority.
Length of Book
The third of the steps to writing a book is deciding on the length of the book. The minimum word count for a novel is around 40,000 words. Your first reaction may be that it is almost impossible to imagine producing 40,000 words, and yes it is, However, if you break this down to, say ten chapters, each of 4,000 words, it begins to look manageable, decide to aim for one chapter per week and it follows that in ten weeks you will have achieved the almost impossible.
Of course 4,000 words is an approximate number for each chapter, but it is important to achieve around that number in order for the storyline to run smoothly throughout the book. You don’t want a chapter of a few pages followed by another of say 85, readers do not like that.
Whose Point of View
The fourth of the steps to writing a book is deciding whose point of view prevails in the book. No matter how many characters move in and out of your story, it should still have one main character around who the plot revolves. This character is your hero or heroine in your story. You should also decide whether to write your book in the first or third person either ( “I did it, I did that” ) or (” Dave struck the blow” ).
Driving the Story
The fifth of the steps to writing a book is to decide on the core conflict that is to drive the whole story. For example, Your lead character is charged with having a company document at his home when it is searched by the police, and he needs to prove that it was planted there, and, who planted it. Was it the MD of the company who feared that his position was in danger from the character? Or was it a trusted colleague, who himself has his sights on the MD’s job. Whatever the conflict, the danger and risk needs to build continuously throughout the book. There is also a need for the hero and villain need to be matched evenly. A reader will quickly put a book down if there is no balance.
Divide the Book
The sixth in the steps to writing a book is to divide the book into parts. Remembering the 40,000 words required, just divide 40,000 by 3 to plan where each part falls. Part 1, establishes the problem, Part 2 builds up the suspense and excitement, And finally part 3 resolves it.
Start Writing
The seventh and final of the steps to writing a book, is to begin writing. Work out how many words or pages you will be comfortable with writing in one day. Be realistic, and remember, if you are only able to manage one page a day, you will have a 365 page manuscript at the end of the year, if you are able to increase that to 4 or 5 pages a day then great, however, that should not mean you can have a couple of days off, on the contrary get back immediately to your one a day.