Got an idea for a book? Getting Started
It’s easy to have a great idea for a book. And it’s not too difficult writing the first couple of pages. But writing consistently so that you create a book of 70-90,000 words—that’s not so easy.
These are my top tips for writing your book.
1. Log Line
In movie-speak, this is how you sum up your story in one line. You see it a lot more than you think because TV listings use it to describe a film.
“A throw back to adventure films of the 1930s, a heroic archaeologist races against the Nazis to find a powerful artifact.”
Or how about:
“Billionaire sexual deviant falls in love with a strong-willed virgin.”
If you can describe your story in one line, it will help you focus on what’s important in the story.
Here’s a couple of mine:
“Lonely male escort falls in love with an older woman who is also his client.” AT YOUR BECK & CALL
“Recently released prisoner consumed by guilt thinks he has nothing to live for, but a feisty preacher’s daughter shows him that love comes in many colors.” LIFERS
2. Practice writing.
It might sounds a little odd, but if you want to become good at writing, you have to practice. I would recommend writing Fan Fiction. Lots of writers started out that way. I did, Shay Savage who wrote the wonderful TRANSCENDENCE is another.
I wrote ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ fanfic, under the penname ‘Sunandsurf’. https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4029544/sunandsurf
It’s a good discipline to write a chapter a week and you benefit from getting immediate feedback from your readers. I love LOVE hearing from readers.
3. Read your work aloud. I found this really helpful, particularly when I started writing. Hearing it spoken will help you pick up on anything that doesn’t make sense, any repetition, or where it just doesn’t sound right. I used to read to my dog : )
I also find that emailing my Word doc to my Kindle and reading it there really helps. Something about seeing it in a different format other than on the computer screen.
4. When you’re starting, it helps to plan your chapters in advance – just a line to say what happens. If characters start doing things that you hadn’t planned, it can be wonderfully exciting, but you can also find that you’ve written yourself into a corner.
In school, you’re taught to use a story mountain: opening à build up/character development à problem/dilemma à resolution à ending [à twist in the tale]
It’s a useful shorthand for plotting your story.
5. Find a quiet time to write—this can be really hard. Maybe early in the morning, or after the kids have gone to bed, your lunch break. Try to find a regular time.
6. Give yourself targets: 500 words a day is a good start. If you can keep that up, you’ll have a whole book in 5 months or thereabouts. A full-time writer will probably aim for 1,000 -2,000 words a day. If it’s really flowing well, it can be a lot more than that. The most I’ve ever written in one day is 8,000 words, but my husband started to complain that he couldn’t remember what I looked like.
But be realistic about what you can manage or you’re setting yourself up for failure. Better to write a little and often—just like chocolate. Oh wait, I think I might have got that bit wrong…
7. Don’t be afraid to cross things out. Sometimes, what you’ve written just doesn’t feel write. Don’t be afraid to cut it out. But don’t throw it away either—put it on a new doc that you call ‘EXTRAS’ or something like that. It might come in handy.
8. Carry a small notebook so that you can jot down a good idea or a piece of dialogue wherever you are. I do this all the time. It drives my dog nuts when I take her for a walk, but trust me, you’ll never remember it later. Write it down.
9. Enjoy your writing. This is for your personal gratification—it’s not a race.
10. Choose one or two people whose judgment you trust, and ask them to read sections for you. Try not to make these too small. Don’t expect them to be excited for 200 words. Give them at least 2,000 so they’ve got something to sink their teeth into. Ask for their comments, but at the same time, know what YOU have in mind for your story. This is your book, so take what is useful from the criticism, but don’t let it spoil what you’re doing. If it FEELS RIGHT to you, then it’s right.
And lastly, I always enjoy having a mental image in mind of the characters I’m writing about. On the whole, I prefer it if they’re not famous people, because I want them to be MY characters. I enjoy looking on Shutterstock or iStock for images—and you can use these for your book cover later.
Most of all—ENJOY writing!
Jane Harvey-Berrick
www.twitter.com/jharveyberrick
I lived in London for over 10 years and have a love affair with New York. It’s only since I have moved to the countryside, that the words have really begun to flow.
I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Pip, every day. It’s on those beachside walks that I have all my best ideas.
Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.
