How to Write a Book: Part 1

“One day, I should write a book.” I’ve heard people say this all my life. So as a writer and someone who’s taught writing much of my life, I thought I’d offer a few thoughts.

First, write about something you know or want to know and really care about. Because a book is like a serious romance, you’ll naturally have ups and downs. But as with any relationship, if it doesn’t start with genuine interest, the chances of growing into love and then surviving the relationship are slim. At universities, we tell doctoral students to pursue a topic that ignites them, so that when their research gets cold, dark, and confusing, the memory of that original desire will see them through to the end. Thus, writing about something you both know and care about is critical.

Understand the Writing Process

To understand the writing process, the first thing to know is that there is NO single, defined writing process. Writers develop their own writing process. For example, some writers will write the first draft slowly as if it is both their first and last draft. They may never show it to anyone until they present it to an editor when it’s ready for primetime. Steven King explains his writing process in On Writing, which I commend to any writer. He writes in solitude until he shows his wife—and then holds his breath to hear what she has to say.?Others, like me, write multiple drafts—an iterative process—and share it with other people along the way.

Learn Your Craft

Writing is a craft, and as such, needs honing. First, read the genre you plan to write about. So, if you’re interested in becoming a novel writer, start reading the best novelists in your genre, even subgenres. A deep base of reading and research will always be the mainstay of writing, and ultimately you will become an expert on a topic. If you want to write about spies and intrigue, read LeCarre, or if you aspire to write a legal mystery, read Grisham. Above all, learn basic grammar. You’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t know grammar well. There are online tutorials, basic texts, and even courses.

Put Structure and Discipline around Writing

One client came to my office, said he wanted to write a book and asked for my best advice. I told him: Sit down regularly—daily if possible—and write. I believe that is singularly the most critical instruction you can ever get as a writer. The British call it “bum glue,” sticking your behind in your chair and writing. Obviously, there’s more to writing, but getting into a structured writing discipline is where it all starts. Somerset Maugham, the famous writer of Teahouse of the August Moon, was asked when he got inspired. He replied: “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.” Some people like to get up early in the morning, so for them, writing at that time works well. Others don’t kick into gear until later in the day and sometimes prefer to write late at night. If writing is important to you, put it on your calendar and make it part of your routine. Remember, you get what you focus on.

Decide How You Will Start Writing

I have taught writing for years and found that several “fast writing” techniques help people get ideas onto paper quickly. Why is that important? It’s hard to nail down your thinking and impossible to edit it until you can see it. The absence of editing and revision in the process leads to crappy writing. So, getting it down on paper (or on the screen) sets the process in motion. You can then edit and revise it later. First, nail it down.??

The first draft you slam down on paper or onscreen is what I call the “crappy first draft.” So, keep your expectations low. There will be plenty of opportunities to revise it later—not now.?Here are several simple, but powerful, techniques that help you produce the crappy first draft. The key principle behind using any of these techniques is to withhold any judgment—despite your inner critical voice that makes you doubt your ability.

Freewriting

Think of your subject and just start writing about it as if you were writing a letter to a good friend. Don’t stop to revise or edit. Write as fast as you can for as long as you can. For some, that lasts a few minutes; others can go for longer. Practice improves this capacity.

Create an Outline

Some people demand that you write an outline first. While I’m not a big outline fan, I know some people who use Word’s outline feature to help them write, and I used it to write this article. Developing a PowerPoint presentation also helps some people organize their material and get unstuck.

Mind Mapping

Whether you’re brainstorming with others or yourself, use a whiteboard or flip chart. Just start bubbles with words in them, connecting them to show relationships between ideas. This technique offers action-oriented (kinesthetic) writers a valuable tool.

Give a Speech

The fastest way of all to get on “air paper” (a recording) is to pretend to give a speech to the audience most likely to read your book. That gives you a reference for the kind of language you use. We use different words and tone when speaking to colleagues versus potential customers. After you have it on “air paper” you will need to transfer it to a visual format. I used this oral process to produce this article and then employed outlining to get it into MS Word.

Please join us next week for Part 2 of How to Write a Book.

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If you like Baldacci, Patterson, or Grisham, check out my new novel that has been compared to them by Amazon.