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How to Write a Book: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing a Book
This detailed guide on writing a book consists of an intro, five chapters, and a conclusion. Below is an excerpt from the guide and a form to complete in order to download the entire guide for free.
Introduction
Thousands of people around the world will feel the pull to sit down and write a book for a variety of reasons today. Whether you want to impart your expertise with readers on a certain niche topic, share a fantasy world that abounds in your head with conflict and resolution, or simply pen down experiences and events that have happened to you, writing a book can be a valuable way to make it happen.
Naturally, books are a pretty big undertaking. Over 200-pages of content that has been curated, written, edited, and organized within an overarching plotline can require some serious brain power, discipline, research, and editing to finalize it at the end of the day. That’s why you want to do your due diligence before you sit down and start cranking out the book that’s always been floating around your head.
With the proper preparation, outline, writing sanctuary, opener and closer, editing, and finally, publishing strategy, there’s no reason the world can’t experience the book you want to share with it. Anyone can write a book, regardless of your innate writing talents. The question is: do you have what it takes to stick with something this gargantuan? We bet you do!
So without further ado, it’s time to dive into How to Write a Book: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing a Book.
Chapter 1: Your Writing Sanctuary
Writing is undoubtedly an art form, which is why you can’t just flip open your laptop and start churning out top quality content. One of the most important parts of writing a book is laying the foundation to make it happen. If you take the time to ensure your sanctuary is established and the book is outlined, you are sure to succeed in the end.
For starters, you need to have a space that is conducive to your writing success. For some people, that’s peace and quiet in their bedrooms. For others, that’s at a local café with headphones playing your favorite song. Whatever works for you, position yourself in a place with few distractions where you can really hone in on your craft.
You can’t let your writing setting be the excuse for why you couldn’t finish the book. You also can’t let distractions be the reason you sideline the book, either. Delete your social media apps if you need to, or turn off music if it’s confusing your brain. Only you know what can distract you – remove it from your writing time.
What Will I Need to Write the Book?
You will need some kind of computer or laptop. Why? Because no publisher is ever going to accept a handwritten book, much less one that was typed up on a typewriter.
To get it right the first time, you will need to assemble:
- A laptop or computer
- Microsoft Word
- Scrivener: if you want a musclebound electronic organizing system, this is the one to consider. Do note: it has a steep learning curve, so spend some time getting to know it before you start to write your book.
- Office supplies: staplers, pens, pencils, rulers, note pads, clocks, bookends, etc.
- The most ergonomic chair you can afford: you are going to be doing a LOT of sitting.
- Standing desk: if you don’t want to sit for 12-hours at a time, consider getting a standing desk as well.
Office supplies are wise if you are someone that likes to jot down notes, make sketches, etc. while you plan something out. Be sure to acquire all of these resources ahead of time and familiarize yourself with them so they aren’t a distraction as you actually start to write the book.
Additionally, being in physical agony isn’t going to make writing too much fun. You need to splurge on an expensive office chair with lumbar support and adjustable heights. You can also pair this with a standing desk that will help you rotate every other hour standing up so your body can stretch itself out.
Now that you know how to establish a writing sanctuary that is conducive to top quality content, it’s time to dive into the meat of this e-book: actually writing the book.
Let’s start with the fundamental organization and outline of the book.
Chapter 2: Outlining the Foundation
Writing a book can feel like a massive, overwhelming project – and that’s because it is. But, you need to realize that the manuscript you turn over to a publishing company is actually broken down into smaller parts. So instead of seeing this project as one that is hard to stomach, start to see it as one that can be done one-piece at a time.
Once you start to realize that, the whole thing will seem much more approachable.
To really get started, sit down and distill your “big book idea.” This idea needs to be reduced to a single sentence, which should be the premise of your book. Think of this as the elevator pitch for your book, something you can tell a stranger on the street. The more specific this one sentence is, the more focused your writing is going to be.
But before you are able to really distill down your elevator pitch, you need to first have a killer idea that is going to make everyone want to read your book.
How to Find Your BIG Idea
If you are going to spend months writing something, typing out thousands of words, then it surely needs to be something that you are passionate about. This topic needs to be so exciting that you can’t wait to get up each morning, open your laptop, and continue writing. Of course, you will want people to read your book, too, which means it needs to be something that excites other people as well.
Note: budget out at least six hours per week to write your book, whether that’s two three-hour sessions, etc. Try and pursue a regular pattern so your mind gets into the rhythm of producing content. You never want to lose focus.
When we think of successes like the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, or A Song of Ice and Fire, we know that the competition is stiff. In fact, it’s very stiff, which is why you need a BIG idea that is bold, unique, and captivating. Run it past others in your life and see how they react – do they immediately seem interested and impressed, or bored and confused?
The right idea will excite you to your very core, as well as everyone you tell. Do not rush this part – it will make or break your success.
Organizing it with an Outline
Even if you are writing some fantastical novel, there still needs to be a basic structure that loops around the book. As humans, we need some kind of predictability to what we are doing. Things need to make sense, even if the premise of the book is totally wild.
Regardless of the book topic, an outline is what will save you from the “marathon of the middle,” otherwise known as the slow parts of books where readers might drop off. You need a never-ending stream of exciting ideas to ensure that readers are committed to finishing the book from start to finish.
A few outline tips when you sit down to structure your book:
- Make promises early
- Trigger the reader into knowing that new, exciting, and fresh ideas await them in deeper pages
- Let them in on secrets and insider information
Generally, all books follow the following format: inciting incident that kick starts the opener, a few crises in the middle “the marathon portion,” the climax (could be the solution, the change), etc., and the conclusion. For nonfiction writers, although there won’t be the same character development or maturity, you can still inject tension by showing where others have failed, and how they will be able to succeed by the end of the read.
Be sure to keep your outline to about 1-5 pages if possible – with every major point represented so you always know where the story is going to go next. Additionally, this isn’t a research paper in high school; use whatever makes you comfortable, whether it’s roman numerals, capital letters, etc.
For Fiction
Start with your title, and then move into all of your major scenes and how they fit into that classic structure.
For Nonfiction
Pair chapter titles with your regular title, as well as a sentence for what each chapter will cover.
The Reality of Writing a Book
Writing this book is going to be consuming. In fact, you are going to have to forgo some of your normal plans to get it done. But, always be sure to make time for your family. Everything else, like a TV show, an extra hour of sleep, a party, etc. can be cut to ensure your book is a success.
Further, we work best with timelines and deadlines. That’s why we all need to set goals to achieve our dreams in this life. Set a rough deadline that you are going to meet in the completion of your book. Take the amount of pages you expect to write (this can be rough estimate) and then divide it out by weeks.
Example: take 400 pages and divide by 50-weeks. You will arrive at eight pages per week. Now, take that and divide it by your typical writing sessions. Now you have the number of pages you need to finish per session.
Be serious about this deadline – tell your spouse, your mom, or your best friend. Have them hold you accountable. Of course, plan for procrastinating. Yes, it’s a normal side effect for writers, which is why you should schedule it into your calendar. Don’t punish yourself for it either – it’s perfectly normal.
Doing Your Homework
Research is a very important part of writing any book. Your credibility as an author is tested every time you quote a stat or a fact in your book. The more time you put into research, the more infallible your book will be when readers sit down with it in their hands.
Some of the best resources at your disposal include:
- World Almanacs: From government data to ethnically accurate names, this site will be your best friend.
- The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus: We can all use a little help coming up with some similar adjectives, etc.
- WorldAtlas.com: Explore limitless information about any continent, country, town, etc.
And don’t forget to CALL yourself a writer. It will help you mentally commit to the challenge at hand.
Chapter 3: From Opener to Closer
Now that you’re a writer, it’s time to actually write the book. When you sit down to start typing, there is one specific group of people that should be at the forefront of your mind: the reader. It’s not you, not the publisher, and not your agent. It’s the people that will actually buy your book. Whatever your gut tells you, think about how the reader would feel – would they be bored by a particular scene? Delete it.
You need to serve those that will carry your novel to the next level.
While you’re doing that, you need to also harness your writing voice. You’re probably thinking to yourself: how does one do that? Answer some of the following questions:
- What’s the most unique thing that has ever happened to you?
- Who did you tell?
- When you told that person, what did you sound like?
That was your writing voice. You need to harness your innate voice, because adopting a fake voice is going to get exhausting over a 300-page project.
The Opener
The opener has a lot of pressure weighing on it. This opener needs to hook your reader, providing them with anticipation to want to stick around. Here are some opener options that have worked in the past:
- Surprising: start with something odd or shocking. George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four started with, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
- Drama: Toni Morrison was good at this one, “They shoot the white girl first,” from Paradise.
- Philosophy: “It’s not about you,” from Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life.
- Poetic Statement: Start out by painting a picture with words, like “The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas,” from In Cold Blood.
Conflict and Tension
A book needs to have some kind of “purpose” to it. It can’t just float along in one emotion the entire time. People get bored. Establish tension in the very first chapter that will entice people to want to learn more.
While you do this, forget about editing. You are going to comb through the book many times when you’re done. Instead, let your creativity flow.
Don’t Give Up
Most writers give up on writing their novels during the Marathon of the Middle. Of course, with a detailed outline that packs a ton of fun and exciting ideas into the middle, you should be able to continue on.
Do know that writing books can be challenging even on experienced authors, which is why if you’re feeling discouraged somewhere in the middle, don’t quit. Take a day off. Go for a walk. Paint something. Don’t let the hardest part deter you from your finished project.
The Closer
How can you ensure your ending doesn’t flop, after all of the hard work you’ve put into your book?
- Don’t rush it for the sake of being done. Give readers the ending they deserve.
- Never settle for second best. You want to be absolutely thrilled by your own ending.
- If you are going for an unpredictable ending, be sure to have it still contain traces of logic so your reader isn’t annoyed.
- Always think reader-first.