So you’ve decided to write a book.
First off… congratulations, Alice. You’re in for a wild ride down the rabbit hole and you may never recover. Those of us with the urge to write and the willingness to “open our veins and start writing,” as Ernest Hemingway so cheerfully said (in so many words, I’m paraphrasing here) often discover that once we start, we just can’t stop.
That itch is unavoidable now and has grown to where you’ve decided—you’ve decided (this is huge)—that you’re going to do it. Write. A. Whole. Fricking. Book.
Big hairy audacious goal decided, now you’re not sure where to start.
Do you just start writing? What if you have 28 ideas and they all seem like they are competing for attention in your brain?
What if nothing comes to your mind?
What if you have no idea what the book is about other than a 22 year old college graduate who carries an apple everywhere? Maybe you aren’t even sure about the apple. (Green? Red? So many options…) 🍎🍏
What about publishing? Do I get an agent tomorrow? Do I need a website now? What if I’m a terrible writer? What if no one reads it?
What do I do now?
Sound familiar? It sure does to me (and every writer I know…)
In order to do more than stare at our laptops wistfully, we writers (you, me, all those bestselling authors you love… ) need a bit of structure around this goal, a little process to help us understand how to get this crazy idea of filling up a lot of pages in a way that makes some sense.
So where do you start?
There’s a process for that… sort of.
“Practicing your presentation doesn’t happen when you get up to speak.”
This very smart quote came from a very good friend of mine, Misty Megia, creative producer for high achieving leaders who want to give presentations that move people profoundly.
And it works in so many creative endeavors. It absolutely applies to writing your first book— I’ll explain shortly. You don’t go for a run without stretching (unless you’re me and the only way you run is when chased). You don’t “wing it” if you’re performing in a play. You don’t hop on that TED Talk stage without knowing what you’re going to say or who you are saying it to. You prepare. You plan.
Writing a book is a long game
Writing takes a little preparation, too. Does that mean you can’t just sit down at a blank Word doc and start? Nope. Sure doesn’t. You can absolutely do that. Lots of people start right there. I wrote my first book on 150 legal sizes pieces of paper, in longhand. (I was 12 at the time, so that probably makes more sense.)
It isn’t going to happen in one session. And because of that, getting a little process under your belt is a good thing. You’ll find lots of posts that tell you exactly what you should do. I’m more of the “Figure out what works for you” type of gal, so instead I’m just going to give you 17 big questions (random number, made it up as I went along) to ask yourself to determine what that process is, for you. Just like there is no one right way for everyone to enjoy coffee, there is no one “right” way for each writer to find their path.
Ready? (That wasn’t question one.) Grab your coffee, a notebook and let’s hop on that trail.
What do you want?
This is a question a lot of writers forget to ask themselves when they sit down to write.
What do you want out of this? What is your end goal? Just as much as we have to consider the end of our novel and what that looks like for our characters, we also need to think about what means for us. For you.
- Do you want to be published?
- Do you want to write more books?
- Do you want to be famous?
- Do you want a career in writing?
- Do you want to just write and love it and see what comes next?
- Do you just need to stop those pesky characters in your head from interrupting your sleep?
- Or is it some mix of the Best Novelist Ever dream liberally salted with just finishing a damn book?
Understanding what you want to be, what you want out of writing, will help you figure out the steps you need to take. If you’re writing to write and to discover and see how it feels, by all means, run to that Word doc and type what comes from your heart. Often times, that will be the way people learn the love of writing. It’s sort of like the runner’s high — not everyone gets it and you don’t get it all the time, but if you do, there’s nothing like that feeling. Nothing like that joy.
If you’re writing with the hopes of someone else seeing your work, liking it and wanting to publish it and share with other people who might like it, then your course might different. Your course is going to be not just about writing a book but writing toward a goal, writing a sell-able book. That is going to take a little elbow grease and some dedication (And coffee. And chocolate. Lots of coffee and chocolate.)
So how do you go from “I want to write a book” to “I’m writing a book I hope to get published”?
First, what shouldn’t you do right now?
We’ll get into the steps below, but I think it’s important to focus on those by first clearing your mind of the things not to focus on right now. If your goal is to write your first book, then realize that nothing else in the world of writing and publishing (and it’s a big world with lots of pretty procrastination) matters but finishing that book right now.
What does that mean? It means you don’t:
- need a website (right now)
- need an agent (yet)
- need to build your author’s platform (yet)
- need to build up your social media channels (yet)
- need to build a mailing list (yet)
- need to worry about marketing…yet.
Notice the repeating word? Yet. All of these things are imperative for a writer to move into that “published author” space when the goal is to build a readership. But right now, those are distractions. Your goal — your only goal— is to build the best book you can.
So let’s focus on that.
Where/What is your Writing Space?
Writing is a mindset. It requires concentration and commitment. What that looks like is entirely up to you. I am not a believer that you “must write every day” or “only write in one room of the house.” What you need to do is determine what motivates you and opens up your creativity?
What’s the mindset you need to write a book, or even a few pages? Do you need quiet? Do you need inspiration? Noise? What helps you get into the zone where the rest of the world can fall away?
How can you create that space when you need it? Especially in today’s world, the local coffee shop isn’t always an option. So look around you and dedicate a space that you feel comfortable and can write in. It may be the kitchen table, the backyard, maybe your desk.
But if it’s the same space that you do other things in, then you need some kind of indicators that help your brain move into “write” mode. For me, wherever I take my laptop, I can write. But I put music on first—for me, it’s often piano music because words distract me. This helps my brain switch over to writing mode, no matter where I am.
Find what works for you in your life and build it into a habit.
What Writing Habits Can You Commit to?
I’m also not a believer in “you must write 1500 words a day.” That’s frankly just not doable for some people, myself included. You do need to make progress, you do need to commit to making progress. But what that level and how fast that progress happens depends on your life. Understand that writing is a journey and depending on your goals, there will be trade-offs for each decision you make.
And again, consider your goal right now. When I wrote my first novel as an adult (because shockingly that 150 pages of longhand at twelve wasn’t publishable) it took me years. That’s in large part because one of my biggest goals was to learn. That novel was my guinea pig. I wrote, rewrote, got critiques, entered contests, rewrote again and again, learned more, rewrote again—and then eventually, submitted it and got an offer from a publisher. I wanted to write the book, yes, but I also wanted to create the best book out of that story that I could.
Accept those trade-offs, accept what you’re capable of, what your goals are and make a commitment to what that looks like. I find that this is often the part where writers get caught in the “comparison” game. It’s easy to compare your progress to Miss Writer on Twitter who says she spent 24 hours writing and finished 30,000 words. Or the other writer who finished a draft in three months.
It doesn’t matter.
You don’t know what her trade-offs are. You don’t know what he is willing to give up. What their life is like. What their goals are. Dreams. We are all writers, but we are also all unique. Don’t compare. Find your truth, your commitment and stick to that. Write your book in your time in your way.
What deadlines can you set—and stick to?
Along with those habits you commit to, you need to set some deadlines—and tell someone other than the 22 year old graduate with the red apple. (Or is it green?) Take it from me, deadlines are tough when no one is watching. It’s the opposite of dancing — if we write like no one is watching, sometimes that looks like binge-watching Sweet Magnolias on Netflix instead.
We need to write like someone is waiting.
Because someone is. Out there, there is someone who is waiting who needs your story with your voice, with your message. Your readers are out there. But they can’t find you until you write the book. So set some deadlines and imagine they’re waiting at the bookstore, searching for your book.
Find a writing group to join, a Facebook group, or just the #writingcommunity on Twitter (be sure to say hi and send me a gif that shows how you’re feeling right now about this book writing thing… @jeannieruesch). Announce your intentions. Whatever motivates you to meet a deadline, find someone to share it with.
And yup — I’ll be that person for you, too. Send me your goals. I’ll be your cheerleader.
And again, be generous with those deadlines (and with yourself.) Don’t set yourself up for your failure. This is your first book. There will be a lot to learn, a lot of things to figure out a long the way, and you’re building brand new muscles. You’re learning a new craft.
How do you like to write?
If you’ve been doing your googling on how to write a book, you’ve likely come across the “pantser” vs “plotter” debate. It’s the belief that there are generally two types of writers (though I think there are 2 poles of thought and lots of shades of somewhere in between.) Those who like to “pants” through a book by putting their butt on the seat and writing as it comes or those who like to “plot” or outline a book first, before the first draft.
You may not know this answer yet and that’s okay. But it may also help you to start thinking about this. Getting a head start on how you write can help you find a smoother path. And find some resources to help you determine that.
Resources:
- If you think the method of blank page and go is for you, recommend On Writing by Stephen King (and the audio version is fantastic, Stephen King narrates himself).
- If you think you’d like to plan a little or outline a little, I recommend Story Engineering by Larry Brooks.
(Read both books, no matter how you think you’ll write your book. They are fantastic resources. )
What is your writing and working process?
Books are complex creatures built of characters, worlds, details and more. Usually two or more heads. You’ll need to do research. Take notes. Formulate ideas. Keep track of details. Where and how will you do that?
How will you brainstorm ideas? Where will you write them down? I am forever forgetting the color of my characters’ eyes. I don’t know why. It’s a curse, I tell you. But if I didn’t have a character template to drop those details into, I’d constantly be digging back through the book doing a search for that one sentence I wrote if they were chocolate brown or azuline blue.
And every writer has a different working method. I use a combination:
- notebooks for brainstorming, idea forming and mind mapping the crazy thoughts in my head. Writing them on paper somehow makes more sense.
- My work in progress notebook checklists and templates, which I build out and use in Notion, where I can also keep research notes and links. This is where I stay organized and start pulling my outline and other elements together. (I’m a plotter, mostly.)
- Google Docs for the actual book file, so I can write anywhere. Yup, even on my mobile phone sometimes.
It doesn’t matter what you use, but consider the three pieces:
- where will you keep ideas and notes?
- Where will you keep details and research?
- Where will you write the book?
Now, we’ve talked about the accoutrements of writing (probably not the right write word, but I just think it’s really cool…) , but what about the story, Jeannie?
What is your idea for your book?
The story. Ahhh. The fun part. One of my favorite parts of writing is the idea stage. That exciting first date when the idea is shiny and new, and so full of possibilities. What’s your book idea?
Someone will ask you what is your book about (hi, me here, asking) and you should be able to answer this. It doesn’t have to be perfect and it will probably change over time, but to get started, you need to have the basic idea in your head. (And no, a 22 year old graduate student with a red apple is not an idea.) But let’s say that 22 year college graduate is the start of your idea. Where do you go from there?
My high school school newspaper days come back to haunt me, but I tend to start with the old standards:
- Who, Why, What, When, Where and How
I’ve got the who: my 22 year college graduate with a green apple (wait…or was that red? See. Details, people.). And maybe she is related somehow to The Wicked Queen. Only.. The Wicked Queen is a successful makeup line created out of New York and this girl’s grandmother is the entrepreneur and scientist who started it.
Huh… starting to wonder why she’s carrying an apple?
This is how my brainstorming goes. Some questions you can ask of your story:
- Who is the hero (or heroine, or both)?
- What are they doing?
- Why are they doing it?
- What do they want?
- What do they need to learn?
- Who stands in their way?
- When is your book going to take place?
What do you need to research?
That brings us to research. You’ll want to research the elements of your book to build an authentic story. I know zip, zero, zilch about creating a makeup line, so I’ll have a massive research and learning curve to tell that story.
But there are other kinds of research that are just as important, depending on your goals. If your goal is to publish a book, hopefully this book, then you need to write with that in mind. Which means understanding the type of book you want to write. It’s great to get your ideas on paper and start writing, but you need to know where your book would fit in the market.
What genre do you want to write in? Where could you imagine it sitting in a bookstore? Not sure?
A few steps you can take:
- Identify authors you like and want to write in similar styles
- Discover their genre, their publisher
- Make a list of books you love and why you love them
- Find books similar to what you want to write. How long are they? What is the general word count? What do they have in common? These are details that will help you define and build your story.
Do I get to write a book now?
Yup. Like every writer before you, you’ll start with that first page. It’s the best and the worst feeling. One tip on that? Start where the action begins. If you feel the need to explain in multiple paragraphs is something that is going to happen, you’re starting your story in the wrong place. It’s called backstory — and it’s a first chapter killer.
(Want to really get a feel for the first page? Check out Flogging the Quill. Ray Rhamey posts up first pages for feedback.)
Be prepared – your first draft will probably suck and that’s okay. But for now… just sit at your computer. Open up a document and write what comes to mind. Feel the joy through your fingertips. Don’t stop it, don’t worry about editing or structure or anything that might hold you back. Write for you. Write as if you’re the only person who will ever read it so nothing matters.
And if you’re more of a planner (you like to plan your vacations far ahead of time), maybe instead of that blank page, start thinking of the outline of your story instead. Don’t focus so much on the scenes yet, but the bones of the book.
Do I have to let others read it?
You’re writing…outlining…full steam ahead. Your next step will be to craft a book from your writing.
Yes, you read that correctly. Most often, our very first drafts are from our heart, but they aren’t often in the most sell-able formats. (There are anomalies to this, but know they are anomalies. Most “overnight successes” were writing books for years before suddenly, everyone knew their name.)
There’s a craft to writing a book well.
And the fabulous news? It can be learned.
There is are elements, including structure, character, emotion and more that go into what makes a damn good book, and there is so much information and advice out there that will blow your mind about how good of a writer it will teach you to become. Just like so many other endeavors, practice will build your muscles, learning will make you better.
So I bring us back to my friend Misty’s quote above: “Practicing your presentation doesn’t happen when you get up to speak. “
How does this apply to writing?
You don’t give a TED talk in your first presentation. You don’t get all the angel investors in that one, unrehearsed, unplanned speech.
And your writing muscles take time to develop. The most important thing you can do to stretch them is to write. Write a lot. Write your novel. Don’t look back. Write every day, every week, on weekends, whatever works for you. Establish your process. Find your habits.
Just keep getting back to that keyboard and putting the words on paper.
And by the way, congratulations. You’re a writer. 🙂
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash