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How many times have we all heard someone say they want to write a book? How many of those people actually ever write one?
So many people think they have a novel buried deep within. Or, having achieved success in their own field, they may dream of writing the next bestselling how-to guide. But only a fraction of those people ever begin to write that book. Fewer still go on to completing it.
But your dream to write your own story need not end in failure! With a little planning and knowledge, you can be on your way to not only starting your book project but also writing “The End”. Here’s how to write a book for beginners.
How To Start Writing A Book
Many people assume writing a book is easy. We all write in our daily lives, whether it’s emails, white papers or presentations. But not only are there many different writing styles, writing a novel takes much more than the ability to put one word in front of the other. If you are wondering how to start a book, here are some of the essential first steps.
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Define Your Project
So, you wish to write your own story. Before you get started, you’ll want to define what kind of book you plan to write. Is it fiction or nonfiction?
Nonfiction is based on fact. It explores life through the lens of the author and shares its expertise with the reader. Even nonfiction includes different genres, or kinds, of books. Atomic Habits by James Clear, Born A Crime by Trevor Noah and Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy are all examples of nonfiction books. They also belong to distinct genres: self-help, how-to and memoir, a few of the most popular genres in the nonfiction space.
Fiction, on the other hand, is storytelling through a make-believe world. Pride & Prejudice, Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings are a few famous examples.
Which of these describes the book you wish to write? Read widely in your selected field to understand the needs of the market, the preferences of the reader and where your work will fit into the current marketplace.
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Define Your Goals
Why do you want to write your own story? Is this book for you alone or would you like it to see the light of day? You may want to write the book but have no desire to see it published. Or you may want it in all the bookstores in the country. You may also want to distribute the book from your website as a brand-building tool. Your goals will decide your next steps.
Now let’s look at the specifics of writing books for beginners.
Tips For Writing A Book
If you’re looking for advice on how to write a novel for beginners, here’s a good place to start. These tips will help you avoid common writing mistakes:
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Understand Story Structure
Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, this is one of the most critical tips for writing a book. Many first-time writers don’t understand that most stories follow a certain flow. Reading craft books on writing can help with this. Save The Cat Writes A Novel is one such book that provides insight into how to start a novel and how the story should be structured.
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Write An Outline
Creating an outline for your story might be the next step. Some people wish to write without an outline, but for beginners, it’s a good way of ensuring you don’t get lost. It need not be detailed, but a sense of where you’re going provides a roadmap for progress.
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Create A Routine
Get a writing process in place. To complete a long work like a book is an act of not only passion but of discipline. Think about your life and where you can make some time to write regularly. If you aim to write every day, even if it’s for 30 minutes, to begin with, you can build up the writing muscle that you need to see your project through to the end. You might also only have time three days a week. Picking a routine and sticking with it’s one of our most important tips for writing a book.
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Edit, Edit, Edit
Remember that your first draft is not your final draft. It’s important to be patient with yourself, as writing books for beginners is no simple task. With that first draft, tell the story the best way that you can, and then revisit it. On the first pass, look for problems with plot and character or with nonfiction, in the narrative flow and structure. Make sure your dialogue and exposition are all in top shape. Then, when you are through with that, you can polish the language, grammar and sentence structure.
Now that you know how to start writing a book, get going by brushing up on your English language skills with Harappa’s Master Grammar and Punctuation. In this learning pathway, you’ll learn how to keep your tenses straight and the difference between active and passive voice, both crucial skills in novel writing. You’ll also learn to perfect your sentence structure and punctuation. Get started on your writing journey the right way with Harappa.
