A killer book idea has been teasing your mind for some time. You know it'll be a bestseller, you can feel it- it has everything the readers want- drama, action, wit, intrigue-- everything except...
It’s not on paper yet.
If it’s still in your head and not on paper how will it ever get read?
The first thing you must do is write the story. Get your first draft down. This is the most important step.
Writing a book seems daunting. It feels like a lot of work and you don’t know where to start. You are thinking about marketing, advertising, synopsis, reader demographics, cover art, editors, and a hundred other things.
But remember- if you want to write a book you need to write it. Right now.
Write every day. Even if you are busy you can write one or two hundred words. Even if you're not in the mood.
All the rest will come later. Get your story down on paper first and everything else will fall into place like steps.
Get the main idea and plat points down so you do not write yourself into a corner later. It also keeps you from staring at blank pages with the dreaded writers block gnawing away at your sanity.
Summary
The first step is to write a summary of your story. One sentence, preferably 15 words or less. It tells what the book is about, painting the picture with a hint of what the main character will go through.
A one sentence summary of the Hunger Games might be, "A teen volunteers to take her sister’s place in an arena battle to the death."
Notice how the characters name, Catniss, is not in the sentence. Names are not necessary in the summary.
The goal is to tell the idea of the story in as few words as possible, and the purpose is for the reader to know if it’s something they may be interested in at all.
If you need ideas for summary structure, check out the New York Times Bestseller list.
Characters
Next you will want to write a character description for each of your main characters. I wrote a detailed piece on character description here.
Your characters must feel real and make sense. And remember- nobody's perfect! Your characters need flaws, too :)
Plot
Beginning.
Middle.
End.
Also known as:
Setup.
Conflict.
Resolution.
In order to not wander as you are putting the words on paper during your first draft, you want to have a clear outline of the plotline of your book. Who, What, Where, When, and Why.
Write this down before you start writing and you’ll never draw a blank as to which way the story should go.
An outline of your characters including who they are and what drives them, as well as the direction they will go in the story, will eliminate any questionable motives. And a clear outline of the plot will ensure there are no plot holes or misdirection, and keep your words flowing onto the paper where they belong.
Get those words out! Write down your story. The most important, and sometimes most daunting task is to get your first draft written. Once that part is finished, then you can edit and polish, and the rest comes in turn.
Take it one step at a time.
But the most important step is to get your story down on paper.
Write on my friends!
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I agree and wish I had written my novel down before attempting to place it on Steem. I ran into a roadblock on it and have yet to finish the remaining chapters. I may just finish on paper and do some editing on previous chapters, then repost a newer version.
Forgot to say that I used your plot breakdown. Boy does that help. That got me through the past few chapters and wish I had known those from the beginning. :-)
Oh my, that's wonderful! So happy to have helped <3
I think that's a great idea :)
This post has received a 50.00 % upvote from @sharkbank thanks to: @sammosk.
Actually interesting topic for posting by @arbitrarykitten mam...
If you are starting your story in the right place, and you have yanked your reader into the story with a great opening line, the next thing you need to pay attention to in your opening chapter is whether or not you are actually putting the story on the page.
Many writers don’t. The story stays locked in their head – a rich tapestry of depth and meaning – and what ends up on the page is just a shadow of the real thing.
Writers don’t mean to do this. The problem is that they know their story, inside and out, and they can’t un-know it. We, the reader, on the other hand, don’t know anything about their story or their philosophy or the world they are building, and we are desperate for inside intelligence. Inside intelligence is, in fact, exactly what we read for, and if the writer doesn’t give it to us, we will feel left out, and we will read something else instead – or nap.
Wel done mam....
Very good point. The reader needs the behind the scenes view.
And if you can show it rather than tell, you're golden :)
How do I STOP writing stories in my head, and start writing on PAPER?@arbitrarykitten mam..
The blank white sheet of paper (or word processor screen) can be one of the scariest things in the world. It's very intimidating. Once you set words down on it, they're fixed, at least for the moment. And they're vulnerable. Other people can, at least theoretically, see them. It feels much "safer" to keep them in your head.
The only way to break that spell is...well, write something. It doesn't matter if you think it's terrible. You don't ever have to show it to anyone. You just need to write anything. Start the flow of words onto paper. It doesn't even have to be in the form of a proper story; you can go back and revise and fill that in later. The last paragraph of your question description is a good start. You may want to write down an outline and then come back and fill in later, or just write extemporaneously. Whatever works for you.
Writing is kind of like siphoning liquid. You know, where you put one end of a hose into a container, then suck on the other end until fluid comes out, then put that other end into a container lower than the first one, and the fluid just flows from the one container to the other thanks to suction and gravity with no pump required.
Writing is just like that. You've got to prime the pump and just start writing whatever comes to mind. The more you write, the easier it will be and the better it will be. Just as with siphoning, you may suck a little at first, but before you know it you won't be able to stop. :)
Happy writing....happy posting....happy commenting...happy steeming...
Cheers~~~
Well said!
Good to see you back hun! - How are you feeling? Better i hope.
You must be feeling on track again... you're cracking the writing whip to lazy sods like me!
😂😂
I took a turn, but I'm almost back to where I was ;)
It's a dirty job, Patriot, but, well, you know the rest... :P
Here' s something that might make you smile on a Sunday morning.....
https://steemit.com/blog/@lucylin/felix-is-becoming-tame-er
Lovely words. I am a very lazy writer and I simply refuse to do any pre-writing writing 😂 I will not do a plot or do research. I also will not do character development and as a result I have half finished stories all over the place.
My reason is I get distracted by the preparation and by the time I want to write the actual book, I have lost the interest. I forgot I have a short attention span also. I do not know what to do for I have great stories in my head.
Thanks for the post @arbitrarykitten. It's been a while since I came here. I wonder why? 🤔 Stay safe.
Even if you don't pre write, even just writing something every day, a little of your story, is a large achievement :)
I will try. I just tend to leave stories half finished and it's troubling. Thanks for your kindness. Peace
Yeah, that is what I do. I write like a series
Some great advice, I'm glad that you're feeling motivated again to continue to do what makes your soul sing. From one writer to another, It's always refreshing to be informed of each person's creative technique, as I feel it makes you a more clear individual in meeting your objective, as your mind is clear and you're able to focus on the task you set for yourself, once you have a structure set. Thanks for explaining your process, I look forward to reading more of your material. You're a great writer :)
wow what a way you shown us to write a book. i think every writer should read this post.
So glad it's helpful!
Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone.
You are so right. It truly is a gift. And one that keeps on giving!
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i have some bestseller stories in my mind .
but when it comes to writing these stories ,
i fail to express my thoughts into words
Just start. That's the best thing to do. Write something, anything, every day. It will get better and easier :)
definitely
i need to make some regular efforts in writing
so that i can fully express my thoughts
Very good topic @arbitrarykitten. Thank you for the good idea.
I am really suprise to see this post here trully, I have been on steemit for a while and I have been reading many post but not like this. Sometimes if the post is plenty i skip reading and do my comment and go but this post look different than others, i could not stop reading once i started because I am writing my new comic book for our movie production and i have been having difficulty in keeping on writting but your points and structure make it look simple. I really like your process and your idea I think i am going to visit this post everything I need info on how to continue my story.
One contribution is 'if you keep thinking about what you want to write for a longer period you will not write but if you start to put something small down the rest will follow like magic. Dont think about how to write just start writing and all will follow. Thanks for sharing.
I think one of the most important things about writing a story is to have the structure down first. Once you have each event in the story set. Then, you can go into the characters. Then, go into the worldbuilding. But do not get trapped by intense world building! I found myself stuck too invested in the legal ramifications of a fictional courthouse that I forget to actually write the story!
I've bookmarked this as I need a reminder!
This is a problem I have. what I do is when an idea hits me I jot it down my idea note book and start doing an outline but I never get to the point that I am more than 50 pages.
I will have a read through the characters because I think thats a major point of weakness because mine feels one dimensional.
How I wish I can have my own book publish in the future 😁😁😁 but I'm not a good writer I think, that you for good tips and advice ms. @arbitrarykitten 😘😘😊❤️
Well said.
On any creative endeavour, my advise to people is always : start doing it right now.
IMHO, whether it's a story, a blog article or a piece of art, the hardest step to take is always the first one. And the longer you sit on it, the harder it is to get started.
Thank you for writing this @arbitrarykitten! I also have some idea in my head that I would like to write down and flesh out but I don't know how to start. This will be a good starting point for me. I will resteem this so I can check back on it from time to time if I need some guidance. Have a great day ahead of you!
Getting started is the hardest part, but I find that once you've actually started writing, it all goes a lot easier. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to put in the time, inspiration will usually follow.
Great post. I use this technique for my ideas in general outside of writing too. I start with the initial idea of paper, just a synopsis of sorts, then I can elaborate from there. Thanks for sharing @arbitrarykitten :)
The hardest step in writing is always the beginning one! Once u get through it, usually everything will gets easier as it goes. :) thanks for sharing! :)
Thanks for this informative and inspiring post. Although I only write blog posts and the venture of writing a book lies far in the future, I learned a lot from your post. I can relate to a lot of things you mentioned. Even for small pieces of work like blog posts, I sometimes feel stuck. I painted out the picture of what I want to write in my head, but due to a lack of structure in the process, I don't manage to get it to paper. Despite a rough idea, writing it down is complicated and cumbersome at times. I’m confident that some of your tips can be applied to blog posts as well and hope I can improve my efficiency in writing and the quality of the result. Thank you very much for sharing your insight! I’m looking forward to your next post!
Hey @arbitrarykitten! Cheers - @sblue
Thank you for these tips, my friend and I, are starting a project that may end up in a form of book. Really like the idea of a 15 word summary, because we started with a sumary and it is 2 pages long
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