If writing is your passion, then you might be wondering how and when to start working on your book. It doesn’t matter whether you are wondering about how to write a nonfiction book or whether it is a novel that you have in your mind – the starting process always seems to be the toughest.
Writing a book is huge and if you are wondering what you need to do, let us guide you through the steps that will help you kick-start your book. That said, here is how you should start writing a book:
Establish Your Ideal Writer
First things first – you will need to establish who your ideal reader is. You will want to establish who would want to read your book. Also, don’t allow self-doubt to get hold of you by thinking that your idea isn’t unique enough and that someone else probably already wrote about it.
Of course, all topics have already been explored by countless other writers – however, none of them carry your essence or twist that will make your story unique. You get the point – nobody out there can tell the story like you.
If you have a story inside you – you need to write about it instead of taking it with you to the grave.
Establish a Dedicated Writing Space
So, once you have a clear idea about who your ideal reader is, you can now sit down and start writing. However, you will need to establish a dedicated writing space. It is crucial to have a dedicated writing atmosphere set up.
That said, if you don’t have a writing space at home – you can go to your local library or Starbucks. Once you know that you have a book inside of you that needs to be put on paper, you must start seeing it as a job.
You need to create an environment in order to do your job. When you sit down to write your manuscript, it is crucial to start out with a designated writing space where there are no distractions.
By having a designated writing space, you will feel more comfortable and focused.
Get the Right Writing Tools
After establishing a dedicated workspace, you can now move into getting the right tools to write your book. When we say tool, we aren’t referring to a quill and paper but a laptop. If you already have a laptop that you use for studying or work, you can invest in another laptop and dedicate it entirely to your writing project.
However, you can also get a notepad and a pen – especially if you are in the habit of jotting down notes for any upcoming chapters when you are outside, in the park, on the bus, stuck in traffic – you get the idea.
That said, make sure you have the right tools and make sure that your tools are sacred to you. As an aspiring writer, your tools are your most valuable arsenal.
Create Milestones
Understandably, writing is a big project, which is why it is crucial to break it down into sections or mini projects. It might as well start with having an outline.
As a newbie writer, you will have that one big idea that revolves around writing your book and then hopping over to hosting a launch party. Well, you might slow down a bit by breaking down your book into chapters.
Once you break down the entire writing process, you will find it a whole lot easier to focus on the writing process and complete your manuscript.
Write to Ace
If you finally take up the cudgels to write a book, you must ensure that you write a good-quality book that actually sells and sits well with your target audience.
There are so many books out there, and you want to make sure to choose the greatest idea. That said, go all out while you are writing instead of shrinking back, thinking that you might only write about a certain thing and leave out other things.
Have a Schedule
Suppose you have rolled up your sleeves and finally decided to get your book out there – then you must prioritize your writings. In other words, you must write every day – until your first manuscript is complete.
You need to set a schedule and a deadline for the first manuscript. Now the deadline doesn’t necessarily have to be exact – especially if you don’t have a contract with a publication company – speaking of which, it might be a good idea to opt for self-publishing for your first book as you won’t be bound by time.
With self-publishing, you will be able to stretch your set deadline a bit but don’t make it way overdue when you can perfectly avoid it. Loads of newbie writers simply stop in the middle; however, don’t make the same mistake – you must keep going and fulfill the self-commitment.
In the end, it all comes down to your mindset. Once your mind is set, you know what you are doing, and you will start prioritizing your writing goals over other things – even when you reach the tough middle part – even then, you will be able to carry on and execute your writing plans within the set deadline.
Write Now – Edit Later
While writing your first draft, you will want to turn down your inner editor. Once you get into your writing space, you will want to silence your inner editor while spilling out everything that is in your mind and heart.
At this point, you don’t want to worry about punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, and whatnot. You can keep these things for later – once you have your rough draft and content out.
You have your writer mindset, a set atmosphere, and the ideal tools – your writing project is divided into mini milestones. You have a set deadline and schedule, and now you are writing with full focus without worrying about edits or grammar/ spell mistakes.
The next thing you will have is the first rough draft that you can now send to professional editors and then a proofreader before its final publication.
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