Tips on writing a book.

[Mystic Muse]

I'm trying to write what will be the greatest fantasy epic evah!* but I just can't. I can't decide on how to write the beginning and while I'm motivated right now in a day or two I won't be. Does anybody have any tips for writing a book?

*Note. This is a lie.

[Dogmantra]

Set yourself a goal. NaNoWriMo style is good for a first draft. Try to bang out one or two thousand words per day, every day for a month. It becomes really quite easy once you get used to it. Just write. Don't get hung up on worries about it not being good, or it not making much sense: no-one can write a perfect story the first time around (though some people can get away with less revision than others). You can always edit it later. I guarantee that you will not be sat here when you've finished the first draft, wishing that you had written less.

If you can't write the beginning: skip the beginning. Oftentimes the worst mistake people make is starting too early (one of the most common responses that publishers give [and even if you're not trying for publication, it's good practice] is "start from chapter 3"). If the first scene doesn't start the action off, get rid of it. Likewise: if you have a storyline thought out, but don't know how to start it, consider starting it further in than you originally thought.

[Szilard]

I'm sure it's gonna be said at least ten more times, but just keep writing. You don't even need to write the chapters in order. As long as you keep writing, you'll be fine. Your first draft will suck, but don't look back until you're done with the whole thing. Then read it over, let friends read it over, then rewrite it. Rinse and repeat.

[Sneak]

Szilard is wise.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about setting yourself goals—because with rigid goals, if you don't meet them, you're just setting yourself up to feel even worse.

The important thing is just to WRITE. Force yourself to sit down and write.

[valadil]

Go write. Reading about writing is just procrastination. You'll learn more by writing than by reading about it. Aim for 1500 words a day.

If you're blocked somewhere, go write elsewhere. Write the part of the novel you're enthused to write.

Don't make it perfect. If you're trying to write the perfect novel, you'll never get past the first sentence. Let it be flawed. Just keep going. You can always edit later.

[Dogmantra]

I wouldn't necessarily worry about setting yourself goals—because with rigid goals, if you don't meet them, you're just setting yourself up to feel even worse.

All depends how you work - I can't do anything unless I have a deadline because I procrastinate like a madman.

That means I'm a better writer, right?

[Rutskarn]

I'm trying to write what will be the greatest fantasy epic evah!* but I just can't. I can't decide on how to write the beginning and while I'm motivated right now in a day or two I won't be. Does anybody have any tips for writing a book?

*Note. This is a lie.

Every single goddamned writer who ever lived wanted to procrastinate and not do his or her writing. You just got to fight through that, and hate yourself for not meeting your goals.

Technically, I actually did write a book, so I guess this advice isn't total BS? But yeah, procrastination's always a problem.

[Mystic Muse]

So, just write regardless of whether I think it's any good?

[Szilard]

Pretty much. You can rewrite after you're finished.

Unless you're Ray Bradbury who wrote Fahrenheit 451 in like 11 days and published his first draft and became a bestseller. Then again, many argue the book sucked.

Either way, write and rewrite.

[Cleverdan22]

If you have clear characters set, then get in their heads. I wrote a short story about five people five five ends of a continent once, and had to figure out how they would meet, so I figured out a place they would all go, then I started writing. Seriously, get all up in their business.

[Mystic Muse]

The only real problem with that idea is that there's one character I don't want to get in the mindset of for reasons I can't mention on this board.

[PhoeKun]

The only real problem with that idea is that there's one character I don't want to get in the mindset of for reasons I can't mention on this board.

I have some doubts that you should include such a character in any story, but there's time enough to actually think later.

Writing comes first, before anything else. Even making sense. You'll have ample opportunity to sort out the details after it's not just an idea in your head.

[Mystic Muse]

I have some doubts that you should include such a character in any story, but there's time enough to actually think later.

I guess I could avoid putting him in but it might be kind of hard to explain the character's absence.

[Sneak]

I guess I could avoid putting him in but it might be kind of hard to explain the character's absence.

Um, why would you have to explain the character's absence? It's not like Ray Bradbury spent much of his time explaining why Huck Finn wasn't in his books.

[Mystic Muse]

Um, why would you have to explain the character's absence? It's not like Ray Bradbury spent much of his time explaining why Huck Finn wasn't in his books.

Well, he's the father of one of the main characters. I guess I could just write it off as him not giving a crap about his kid which would probably be in character for him.

Also, I don't really get the reference......

[Szilard]

Ray Bradbury never explained why Huckleberry Finn wasn't in his books, because he wasn't in his books. You don't need to explain the absence of a character. Just don't mention them at all.

[Mystic Muse]

Ray Bradbury never explained why Huckleberry Finn wasn't in his books, because he wasn't in his books. You don't need to explain the absence of a character. Just don't mention them at all.

Ah. Sorry, that isn't going to work in this case. I can't really explain why without breaking board rules so lets just leave it at that.

[Dogmantra]

If this father character is horrible and you don't want to get into his mindset so you can't write him: don't write him at all. Honestly, the only way that it'll be obvious is if you explain why he's not there. Never even mention him, and your readers will forget that the main character has a father.

Unless he's a plot point in which case you might want to change your story.

[Mystic Muse]

If this father character is horrible and you don't want to get into his mindset so you can't write him: don't write him at all. Honestly, the only way that it'll be obvious is if you explain why he's not there. Never even mention him, and your readers will forget that the main character has a father.

Unless he's a plot point in which case you might want to change your story.

He is sort of a plot point. I'm pretty sure that even if I don't write him in as a character he's definitely going to come up.

I guess I could sort of get into his mindset. His main trait isn't quite as bad as several of his other ones.

EDIT: to make an example, taking this guy out and not explaining why would be like taking Voldemort out of Harry potter but leaving the death eaters in. Everything Voldemort does and did still happens he just never appears in the book. To be honest, he doesn't have to be a main character but writing him out of the storyline and never having him come up is not an option.

[KataraAltinaII]

just start writing.

also work out a bunch of characters, even if you don't think you can use them straightaway. I find that by writing things down here and there, but also having somewhat of a core story to build off of is what has given me a book of Middle-Earth size proportions.

[Jimorian]

You are not your characters, so if you need somebody for the story you can't talk about because of the board rules, you need him, he won't rub off on you.

If a strict quota doesn't work for you, one trick I played on myself to get myself going was set my required wordcount really low. 100 words a day. It could even be 50, about the length of a middling paragraph.

Point being that the first words are always the hardest for some people, and if you can get past them, the rest generally starts to flow. I had a LOT of days early on where I just barely made that mark, but as time went by and I got into the habit of starting, the continuing became easier and easier. For the final push I was hitting 3000 words a day fairly easily.

Big agreement with everybody above about not worrying about the quality of the first draft. It exists to have raw material to mold into the final vision.

[Amiel]

You could always start at the middle or end and then write your way back to the beginning; kind of like a story in reverse.


Get out a blank piece of paper.
Write as many keywords as you can; any that immediately come to mind.
Scribble or cross out any that are of no interest to you.
Thematically organise and group the uncrossed words.

You now have some idea what you may want to write about.


Set yourself an overall goal, and then set out objectives tied to the overarching goal; what do you intend to accomplish on such and such page? how do you intend to emote the story to readers? et al.

[Delta]

EDIT: to make an example, taking this guy out and not explaining why would be like taking Voldemort out of Harry potter but leaving the death eaters in. Everything Voldemort does and did still happens he just never appears in the book. To be honest, he doesn't have to be a main character but writing him out of the storyline and never having him come up is not an option.

So just write him in, where's the problem? You just have to know what he's like and what he does, unless he's a primary viewpoint character, you don't really have to "get into" each and every person in your book 100%.

[Amiel]

If you choose a perspective to write in, be sure to remain in that perspective for that particular character or scene; it'd confusing if the author suddenly switches from first person to third person in the middle of a paragraph.

[dehro]

my tip? accept tips only from published authors, because they can prove that what they say has at least worked once.... but even then don't take their words for gold..what works for them may not work for you and vice versa...
no ammount of accademic degrees guarantees that the tip you're getting will be sufficient in it's own right to solve your creative conundrum...and there are scores of authors who don't have a degree at all, and scores of people with a degree who are failed authors..in other words, the recipe for "becoming the best writer ever" doesn't exist.
also, on the internet, it's full of people who will give you advice just because they like to be seen as knowledgeable..any advice..on any subject, whether they know about it or not...to the point of faking formal education about the topic at hand.

then again...I'm not a published author, and I'm just a guy on the internet.. so maybe you shouldn't listen to me

[Dogmantra]

my tip? accept tips only from published authors, because they can prove that what they say has at least worked once

also, on the internet, it's full of people who will give you advice just because they like to be seen as knowledgeable..any advice..on any subject, whether they know about it or not...to the point of faking formal education about the topic at hand.

?
That's like saying you should only accept advice on cooking from professional chefs with their own restaurant, or advice on playing tennis from someone who has played in Wimbledon. Okay, so you might get better advice, but just because someone hasn't been published, it doesn't mean their advice is automatically invalid, or even worse. There are plenty of published writers that come to mind who I would tell to stuff it if they tried giving me advice.

[Szilard]

Stephen King writes at least six pages a day, so the keep writing thing rings true. There's your professional advice.

[Delta]

Stephen King writes at least six pages a day, so the keep writing thing rings true. There's your professional advice.

Well, you don't have to be a professional to give that kind of advice. It should be pretty obvious, really. If you want to be a writer, you gotta write. Sure, there's advice, there are books on writing (really good books that can teach you a whole lot of stuff as well) and other surrounding activities that can actually be worthwile, but in the end it comes down to this, if you don't write, you're not a writer, and you won't become a better one.

[PhoeKun]

my tip? accept tips only from published authors, because they can prove that what they say has at least worked once.... but even then don't take their words for gold..what works for them may not work for you and vice versa...
no ammount of accademic degrees guarantees that the tip you're getting will be sufficient in it's own right to solve your creative conundrum...and there are scores of authors who don't have a degree at all, and scores of people with a degree who are failed authors..in other words, the recipe for "becoming the best writer ever" doesn't exist.
also, on the internet, it's full of people who will give you advice just because they like to be seen as knowledgeable..any advice..on any subject, whether they know about it or not...to the point of faking formal education about the topic at hand.

then again...I'm not a published author, and I'm just a guy on the internet.. so maybe you shouldn't listen to me

The only advice a published author can give you that a non-published one can't (probably) is how to successfully grease the wheels at a publishing company to get the thing in print. And even then, they might not know, while a non-published author might. It's not a reasonable credential.

My degree doesn't make me more or less qualified to offer advice, either. Earning it certainly helped me to become a better writer, because it put me in contact with some very wise individuals and gave me lots of dedicated time to practice and get better. But what does that matter? I've learned a lot from talking to people on the internet about it, as well. There are some marvelous people on these very boards who can give you a major push on your way to being a better writer (or a writer in general). What do you want to say to these people? "Oh, you're just trying to sound intelligent. I'm not listening to you unless you're published."?

Of course, writing is a personal thing. Particularly in the arena of "how do I write, period?", what works for others might not work for you. And there will be a lot of differing opinions on how to go about such and such, or how to make this character or this passage more effective, or if this or that plot point needs to exist. And as a writer, you should be aware that you have the final say about what happens and how it all gets done when it comes to you writing. And as part of that, you have the right to not listen to some advice, or to pay more attention to one person than another. But the best policy, particularly when starting out, is to listen to anyone who will talk to you on the subject, and see from as many points of view as possible, so that you can more effectively find the one that is the best fit for you.

I think that any advice on a systematic way to reject advice is bad advice. And although you may not realize it, it's hurtful as well. There is no final authority on what it means to write and write well, and offhandedly referring to the advice of well meaning individuals as worthless is, to put it plainly, not ok.

[Jarawara]

A quote by Stephen King, which I oft repeat to myself:

"A page a day is a book a year."

(Edit: As per Szilard above, obviously King has increased his speed, but then again, I think he publishes more than a book a year nowadays.)

Write a little every day. If inspired, write alot. If sick or distracted, take a day off, but get back to it, keep a steady slow pace, and you'll have alot done in no time.

*~*

As described in earlier posts, trying starting in the middle. I had trouble in my earlier years with creative writing, specifically with two issues: Starting, and Ending. I solved them both by simply avoiding them.

I start in the middle of a scene, in the middle of the plot, and concentrate on describing a personality, a dialog, an action, or whatever I want to focus on. And then, I just end the scene without concluding anything.

That may not seem conducive to producing a completed project, but after years of this, I have literally thousands of pages of ongoing story, and my players/readers can recognize any one of hundreds of characters, and even tell when they seem to be acting out of character. The story itself is concluded (this was all for a game as well as a book), and those following the story have all raved on the flow and build up, and final climax, of the story.

The only thing left for me to do is figure out how to turn all those gamelogs, story-snippets, and character transcripts into a single manuscript, leaving no gaps along the way. And keep the book's page count lower than 6 thousand.

Anyone care to give me advice on editing?