Writing a book is an entire journey, from takeoff to destination. As every journey one embarks on, when writing a book, it is best to undertake it while being as well prepared as you can get.
It is definitely not an impossible task to write your first book. Still, achieving it can be very difficult if you don’t understand the necessary steps and efforts required to make it happen.
So many people begin the project of writing a book and end up not finishing it because they were not well prepared. This article discusses seven things to consider when writing your first book.
A Clear Idea
First, you must be absolutely clear on what you want to write. You need to determine if it will be a fiction book or a Non-fiction one. What genre are you writing in? What is the central theme or core idea of your book?
These are questions you need to answer before putting down your first words. It will help you to stay on course and prevent you from deviating far from what you set out to achieve at the onset.
Writing Space
Every writer is different. Everyone adopts different styles and approaches, but one thing that is a constant is that most writers need a unique space custom-tailored for them to do their writing. You should have one too.
Some writers prefer complete solitude, some do not mind some background noise. Some prefer to do their writing in the quiet of a library, others prefer to do their work out in the open with some scenery.
Prepare your writing space in a manner that is best suited for you; you will be spending some time there as you work to finish your book.
Writing Tools
Writing in modern times has moved on a lot from the days of just having a pen and a jotter pad. Entire books can be written now from behind a screen.
Whether you favor the more traditional approach or are more with the tech crowd, gathering all the writing tools you need is important. If you have easy access to them, it will prevent disruptions in your writing process.
These tools could include laptops, keyboards for authors, pens, paper, paper clips, sticky notes, markers, pencils, and erasers.
Schedule
The best writers keep to a fixed schedule. It helps you get the rhythm and consistency required to complete the job.
Some writers will advise that you make sure to write every day, but it doesn’t have to be everyday. It could be every other day, it could be four times a week. It could be six hours at once or three hours in the morning and another three hours at night. Whatever works best.
Remember that whatever you decide, ensure that you consistently show up. Writing a book will require sacrifices. You may have to miss that football game or that movie night to spend a couple of hours adding pages to your book. You need to be ready for that. Once you have your completed book, it will be worth it.
Target Audience
Writing a book is like performing a song or being a comedian on stage cracking a joke, in that you must keep in mind that you have an audience. The words you are writing down will be read, and you have to consider that as you write.
If you are bored with your writing, your audience must be half asleep. Some tips to ensure your audience remains engaged include the following.
Have a Captivating Introduction
First impressions, they say, last the longest. Your book should have an exciting first chapter, it is largely what will determine if the reader will keep turning the page or return the book back to the shelf.
You can start with a surprising fact, an intriguing quote, or a jarring statement that immediately arrests the reader’s attention and then proceeds from there.
Don’t Overwhelm Your Reader with Too Much Information
Some writers tend to do this; after researching the book they are writing, they tend to put too much into it. Give enough information to let your audience know you are well informed but not so much that it becomes too boring.
Editorial Process
While writing your book, you should have a plan for your editing process. Are you going to self-edit or will you be contracting it out to an editor?
Also, It is important to turn off your inner editor while writing the first draft of your book; otherwise you will keep getting stuck and make little headway.
Write your first draft freely without double-checking yourself after every few sentences. Once that first draft is completed, you should proceed to the editing process.
Publishing and Marketing
Lastly, a key aspect of the writing process is what happens after you finish writing the book, and this is usually neglected by writers when planning to write a book.
You are probably not writing a book for it to remain in a notepad or on the computer. So, you should plan how you want to publish your book. Will it be self-published? Or will you be submitting your manuscript to publishing houses?
Also, the marketing strategies you want to employ should be well planned and laid out.
Conclusion
These are seven important things you should consider when writing your first book.
Good luck with your writing!
short url:
