Writing Your Book - Steps and Tips

How to Write a Book or Novel

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Millions of people are working on books, or believe that they could write a book, or are planning to write a book. Are you one of them? This wiki outlines simple steps to help you get started and to finish.

Steps

1. Begin with an idea or concept, not necessarily original but unique.
   
2. Determine your target audience.
   
3. An author's mindset can be acquired. Acquire it!
   
4. Be prepared to put in the time and effort to put your thoughts initially down on paper.
   
5. Develop these thoughts into a working title. Select a title that will engender a desire to read the book.
   
6. Spend the time required to convert these thoughts into a coherently structured body of material. Work the title into the book. Do not give up!
   
7. Do a thorough proof-reading. Get a friend to help.
   
8. Now you have a manuscript. Review it. Give it to a friend or family member to review it.
   
9. Format and reformat the chapters.
   
10. Now you are ready to publish. But that is for another wiki.
    

Tips

• Avoid being wordy, that is saying the same thing in several different ways. This is painful to the reader.
  
• The story-line is key. It must be of interest to the reader, not to you! Keep it flowing and I recommend that you keep paragraphs and chapters short. (The short chapters is one of the things that made reading "The "a Vinci Code" so enjoyable).
  
• Unless it is a real life story, do not clutter the book with too many characters. This bores and confuses the reader.
  
• Primarily for the fiction writer, avoid giving characters similar names. This confuses the reader.
  
• Your book will be attractive if it presents useful information, answers readers questions, is humorous and tells an impacting story.
  

Warnings

• Writing a book isn't fun. It is a serious venture and involves a lot of work.
  
• Write to make money. If you want to write for pleasure, write a blog, poetry or short stories.
  
• Most people who write lose money on their project.
  
• The people who make the money generally are not the authors, certainly not in their lifetime.
  
• Getting published is easier said than done. This is perhaps the most stressful part.
  

Sources and Citations

Blog: http://thewritersguide.blogspot.com/
Writing Software: http://www.snipurl.com/1xuak-0955/
Writing Resources: http://www.write-your-book.info/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Book or Novel. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.