So you want to be a writer but don’t know where to start. There is a famous saying that ‘we all have a book within us and we all have a story to tell’ and I believe this to be true. We all have life experiences, tales of adventure and misfortune, romances and tragic events. We may be very creative and conjure up fantasies and mysteries, or tales of crime, or passion.
The possibilities are endless and only limited by our imaginations and we are all capable of writing our thoughts and ideas down. Of course, not everyone will want to do this and that’s okay. We all express ourselves in different ways. But if a part of you has been yearning to put pen to paper, I thought I would share the process I went through when I wrote my book, a few years ago. I hope that it gives you some guidance and inspiration.
I had always loved writing, but apart from regular newsletters on my website, I had not really written anything down. Then during the now infamous lockdowns, I suddenly had time on my hands and started to write. I only had a vague idea about writing a book, but began by just jotting down ideas.
I knew that I needed some structure as all books have a beginning, a middle and an end, but I wasn’t sure how to create this. So I did a couple of courses online, firstly with Lissa Rankin, who ran a writing workshop and followed this with a Writer’s Genius course with William Whitecloud. These were invaluable in helping me establish how to move forwards in putting my book together.
Now that’s not to say that you have to do a course to get started, but as I had completely no idea, they gave me guidance. Essentially many stories follow the ‘hero’s journey,’ a concept created by Joseph Campbell. The main character leaves his/her familiar surroundings, sets out on a quest or mission, meets others on the journey who either help or hinder, faces many challenges and returns home transformed.
This concept can be used in memoirs where you relate your own experiences and how you have grown through them. Equally it can be applied to fantasy novels, or even romances where girl meets boy, finds out some things about him, overcomes challenges and ends up happily ever after.
It’s a framework to follow that provides some direction as you begin your story. Of course, the opening chapter needs to grab your attention or else the reader won’t proceed. Some type of action is required to engage the reader and this can take any form. In my book, I wrote that I suddenly couldn’t drive and the car came to a complete halt. The story then followed on, to explain the events leading up to this, but by beginning with a direct action, the reader was engaged.
Imagine if instead, I described this event in passing, without any dialogue or emotion. It just wouldn’t have the same effect. Once you have the reader’s attention, you need to build up the story. I described growing up, incidents in my life, both good and bad. I spoke of my own failings and achievements and all the growth I went through as a woman.
In a fiction or fantasy novel, you would need to relate the adventures or mishaps your main character went through. Then you need to sum up the book and come to some resolution. I explained how far I had come and where I was now in my life. In your own book, your hero or heroine may accomplish their mission, and return home transformed and much wiser.
Whatever way you choose to write, make it a regular occurrence. I would set aside every Monday morning. If I had extra time during the week, then I would write some more. However I made sure that I had at least one day, where I would sit and type for a few hours of uninterrupted time. Often ideas would come to me when I was in bed at night. This is quite common as often we get the best ideas when we give ourselves space to think.
If this happened, which it often did, I would get up and jot down my thoughts. I could then expand upon them the next day. If at times I sat in front of my computer and no ideas would come, I would re-read what I had already written and often more thoughts would come through. A walk in nature often helped too.
Once you have finished your book, read and edit it numerous times. You will eventually need to have a professional editor look at it. Never rely on your own editing! It’s a start, but a professional will guide you on development and grammar. Don’t worry about your title. You may have a name for your book then decide it’s no longer appropriate by the time you have finished it, or perhaps it just needs some tweaks. You can always ‘google’ your title too, to see if it is original. If not, you can alway add a subtitle to distinguish it from a similar sounding name.
You may also wonder if you have written enough. Memoirs/Self help books are typically 40,000 to 60,000 words. Fiction books 80,000 to 100,000 words. Fantasy up to 120,000 words while Children’s books vary depending on the age of the reader eg. a picture book will only be 200 to 500 words,
So you want to be a writer but don’t know where to start. Just start writing down your ideas. If it’s something that you have always wanted to do, don’t let fear or procrastination stop you. Yes it’s a huge learning curve but there is always support around. The Australian Writers’ Centre is a wonderful resource. You can sign up for their free newsletters and receive information about their courses. I have done a few of them and they are really helpful. Just keep an eye out for their sales! Facebook groups may also provide extra support. The Women Writers, Editors, Agents and Publishers groups is another useful source of information.
Whatever you choose to do and whether you choose to self publish or go down the traditional publishing route, if you are really passionate about writing a book, then just start. Yes it takes determination and hard work, but it is such a rewarding and inspiring experience. You will never regret it.
With love,
Judy xxx
Ps. Next newsletter I will go into more detail about the actual process of getting your book out there! If you would like to read my book, you can purchase it here. The kindle/e-Book is only $9.99.
Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.
References: https://courses.lissarankin.com/alc-egr-home. https://www.naturalsuccess.io/writersgenius. https://www.jcf.org/learn/joseph-campbell-heros-journey. https://www.writerscentre.com.au.