I get told all the time... "I want to write a book someday." (It's a bucket list item more than you know). And right after that preface, I get the question... "How do I write a book?"
And before anyone asks... mine is still in copyediting. That is a very long and tedious process. I love everyone's enthusiasm. But, patience, please.
Now, onto how to write a book. First, let me say this... advice on how to go about writing a book is like baking a fruit pie... there are a million different ways to do it. The end results can all be awesome. Or not so much. Writing a book is the same way. There's no right or wrong way to do it. But here's my process. Apply it however you'd like.
Where to begin:
Read. Yes, not actually write, but rather read. And when you read:- Diversify your genres as much as you can.
- Observe, observe, observe. Observe and absorb. Pay attention to the details.
What do you like? What don't you like?
How does the author create different character profiles? How do they use language, body movement, and action to help create and build characterization? How does the author use conflict to drive their plot?
Observe in real life. I like to do this in a few ways:
- Go out in public and just watch people. Go to Starbucks, sit in the corner, and just watch. Hopefully, you're inconspicuous enough that people don't think you're just a creeper. What do you see? How does the barista treat their customers? How do they act when they're not busy with a customer or preparing an order? Who are the customers? What do they order? How do they dress? Are they alone or with someone? How do they interact with other people?
- I also like to use TV and movies. The things I pay attention to in the books I read are the same things I look for from this kind of medium.
Play around with your writing. This is kind of like journaling. Using some inspiration from something you observed, make up a character or a scene and write about it. It doesn't have to be pages long, just something, anything. Then write about another place, another person. How you can differentiate them from each other? We want our characters and our scenes to be diverse. We don't want you to write yourself- what you know, what you like, how you'd behave.
- Build a profile. I literally have a list of 50 things that I answer for each character I write. I find that even the irrelevant information that I am likely to never add to the story still helps me shape who my characters are.
- Describe your character's most embarrassing moment.
- Who depends on this character... and why?
- What's your character's proudest moment?
- Who does this character look up to most... and why?
- Describe this character's relationship with each parent.
- Does this character have any siblings? Where do they fall in birth order? What is their relationship with their siblings?
(Just to name only a few).
- The more I know about my character the more multi-dimensional they become and the more I understand why a character may or may not do something, how they will react to something, the decisions they make. The characters literally become real and I just write what they do... I don't have to force anything.
- Avoid making yourself your character. It's not like it's blasphemy to have similarities between your main characters and yourself. In fact, you're bound to overlap in places. But whatever your natural response to or tendencies would be in a situation - write the opposite of what you'd choose. Rely on all the details you've created to let your character reveal their true self to you.
"Someday you're going to be someone's favorite author."
Outline your plot. Taking the time to work through the arc of your plot is an important way of understanding the direction your components are working toward (characters, action, scenes, etc). How to outline your plot:
- Identify the conflict
- Decide who/what is the protagonist and the antagonist
- Scene development, as well as scene sequels (the falling action following any scenes with action or advancement)
- What is the story's climax- what the entire book is working up to
- Falling action - how is there resolution, noting that even a lack of resolution can be a stylistic option
A storyboard diagram can be very helpful with this.
Keep in mind that you can deviate from your initial arc... just because you thought it up one way doesn't mean it can't change. Evolution can sometimes be a very good thing by way of keeping it real.
Understand the fundamentals of writing. Lots of writers write the fundamentals instinctively, even if they don't immediately identify them in what they've written. But understanding the fundamentals and how to use them will only improve your writing. When you understand how the parts of writing work, how they function together and independently, and why there is a time and place for everything, the stronger your work will be. No, I'm not saying that you have to run out and get a college degree to make yourself a good writer. Many writers can write without any kind of training or education. Although workshops and such can be very helpful when you're always trying to improve.
- The most important fundamentals to understand:
- Narrative summary & exposition (show vs. tell)
- Characterization
- Point of view
- Proportion - balancing all of the above
- Dialogue mechanics - including beats & description
- Interior monologue
- Voice
Write. Over and over again. And if you get stuck, write anyway, even if it's painful and you know the work is terrible. You can always go back and edit. You can't edit what isn't there.
"If a story is in you, it's bound to come out." - William Faulkner
Clean it up. Maybe you're not an editor, but as the author, you should clean it up as much as possible.
Share your work.
- This part, for me, is always the hardest part. As it can be for many writers. But it's important because, well, it puts your work out there. Maybe you wrote your entire book without the intention of publishing or distribution, but by letting others read your work, you open yourself up to input (and criticism), which only makes you better as a writer. Outside opinion, both good and bad, can give you different perspectives on your work. You can take or leave people's suggestions or critique, but the point is to find the areas you can improve in.
A Few More Thoughts:
Just some other random tidbits...There are always groups for writers that you can join. See what kind of groups are in your area. See what you can find online. Social media, bloggers, or writer forums are great ways to connect with other writers. And step outside your own genre. Remember, diversity is going to be your best friend when you write to keep your work from being monotonous, redundant, and dry.
Give NaNoWriMo a shot! What the heck is that? National Novel Writing Month. It's all of November, every year. It's free to sign up and gives you goals to work toward every day of the month. The goal: to produce a 50,000-word manuscript by the end of the month. Don't let that number overwhelm you. It's fun. There are always local chapters that come together during the month to offer support to fellow writers. And there are badges you can earn along the way. Accept the challenge and see what happens!
Guidelines:
Depending on your genre, there are suggestions for word counts that your work should fall within (keep in mind, these numbers can vary depending on your source or publisher):- Microfiction/flash fiction - this is extreme brevity (definitely not my strong suit) - 5-1,000 words. Think 6-word stories, or 280-character stories, as examples.
- Short stories - 1,500-5,000 words
- Novellas - typically narrative prose that is longer than a short, but not quite a novel -10,000-40,000
- YA - 50,000-80,000
- Novel (fiction) - 50,000-120,000
- Self-help - 40,000-90,000
- Memoirs - 50,000-90,000
- Narrative nonfiction/creative nonfiction - 50,000-110,000
- Biographies - 50,000-110,000
With that said, there are always exceptions. In writing, there's a rule for everything. So follow them, and then don't. Which is confusing advice. Just don't restrict your creativity. Know your audience... what can you get away with, what can't you? When do you push the boundaries? When you break the rules, do it intentionally and know that your work is better than the confines of a box. Some things are more important than word counts. Just be prepared for some resistance if you set out to break all the rules.
Some examples of books that are the exceptions:- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is 257,000 words. It falls into the category of YA, so yeah, I'd say it broke the rules a little bit.
- The Time Traveler's Wife is written completely in first person POV, in the present tense, which is typically recommended against (and is difficult to pull off), yet this book gets away with it.
- Wolf Hall wraps up in a whopping 672 pages... a work of historical fiction.
- The Sea is known for its adverbs. In writing, adverbs are suggested to use minimally - it goes back to the writing principle 'show don't tell'.
- To the Lighthouse - there's a reason Virginia Woolf is a name we all know... and she's a rule breaker. A common rule in writing is to not begin a book with dialogue. But this one does- and is a masterpiece.
There are so many other rule-breakers out there, the list could go on for days. The point is that the rules are there for a reason. But, you can get away with breaking them. As long as you do it the right way.
Are you ready to start your book? Don't be overwhelmed. Just make a map of your vision and start wherever you want. It doesn't have to be the beginning. Try starting with the ending if you need to. The point is to just start.
"Call me Ishmael."
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