Write That Book – 10 Tips to Get Started
By Diane Theiler
Getting started is often the hardest part of writing your book, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some quick and easy tips for to help you out:
- Find a place to write that is quiet. One in which you are comfortable and able to let your mind roam freely. A place where you won’t be interrupted and make it your own. Light a candle, open a window, put up pictures of your want to be characters. Anything to help you in your writing. When I first started, I put up a list of passive verbs. I tried to look over the list everyday so I would know which words not to use.
- Set up your special area with things you will need so you don’t have to get up and down. You will need things like your computer, charger, and pen and paper to jot down important notes of loose ends that you have to tie off later, or ideas on where you want to go with your writing.
- Write about something you know. This will keep you from having to do a lot of extra research, and save you tons of time in the end. It also gives you an extra edge, because you know how to manipulate your characters and how they would react to certain things. You know how you or a friend reacted. Anything you already know is something you won’t have to research.
- It’s best to do a quick outline of your story. Maybe get a feel for your main characters. I looked through magazines and cut out pictures of how I envisioned my characters. When it came time to describe them, I just looked at the picture. I didn’t have to remember anything for later or worry about forgetting how I described him/her, or what color eyes I gave them. I also wrote their name, nicknames, characteristics, flaws, etc under the pic. You could possibly put their backstory or nervous habits they have when they are in tight situations. Anything you can add here is something you won’t have to go back and check on. It’s right there in front of your face.
- Think about your beginning, middle and end and figure out how you are going to connect your story, what kind of conflicts will you use, and what emotions will run through your story. If your hero/heroine is going to be upset over something then put several words into the thesaurus and find other words to describe this state or emotion so you can switch up the words. It’s best not to use the same words over and over. Having a list or two of words helps me to write faster, because I don’t have to stop and figure out what I’m going to write or which word I want to use. The words themselves put ideas in my head. Words like brutal, ruthless, cruel, heartless. Or even words, like amazing, wonderful, miraculous, remarkable. Each word puts a different picture in my mind.
- Buy a notebook to carry with you to record those ideas you have when away from your computer. I’ve written entire scenes when I was waiting for a doctor appointment or for the kids to get released from school. Quit wasting time, use those little increments of time to feel the holes in your story or plot or to map out a new section of your story.
- Have fun with your writing. Remember, you can change anything you don’t like later. So, add some silly humor, a drama queen, or a sassy little sister. Bring your story alive with the little things you add to make your character more real.
- Start watching people, their reactions, their hurt, their happiness and think about how you would describe that scene. Don’t be afraid to use something you see in your book, but do make sure you put it in your own words. You can put a disclaimer at the beginning of your book, that your characters are fictional and are in no way meant to be real people.
- Go out on the internet, looked at newspapers, books and other things to get ideas. Life is full of wonderful and awful things. Search out what you need.
- Now sit down and write.
