Drafting a book can seem daunting and a task best taken up by those with writing experience. False!
If you have passion, there is nothing you cannot do. We are all enthusiastic about something. It is a subject you want to discuss if it comes up in a conversation. It could be about gardening, fly-fishing, or riding a bike.
It could be cooking you love and yet you hide in the kitchen alone, not telling anyone of that perfect recipe you produced, or like me, you looked up at the stars and saw more than just white slithers of clouds stretched endlessly across the blue sky. For others, it is that thrill they get by jumping a BMX bike across dunes.
This is the topic with which you should start. Write about it!
So, now the subjects selected, let us break it down? Find a starting point.
- Do you start at the beginning and feverishly jot down each task and moment until today?
- Or do you start at the end with a quirky beginning and take us back on the journey where it first began.
- My guess is, like me, you will start somewhere in the middle. A little teaser where you can move forward with the story and yet cleverly go back to reflect and add value to the why, how, or when at that stage of the story.
Neither of the above is wrong. It is what makes the journey fun for you. If it is not, you have chosen the wrong subject or genre and readers will pick it up in your writings.
- So, get creative, start anywhere, somewhere, and tell us what you love, in words jotted down on paper.
- Write it as a short story to start with.
- Then pick it to pieces.
- Rewrite it so everyone can understand it, not just you.
- Elaborate, and finally, read it aloud to a friend or family member. Or, if alone, as if there were others standing right in front of you.
How did you do? Was it a hard read? Did you stumble over any sentences? If so, go back and rewrite those bits.
- Read it aloud again.
- When you can read it without stopping and going… What was I trying to say here?
- Next, put it through a spellcheck. Grammarly, Pro Writer, and Ginger are free, but you must pay a fee if you want it to examine your document thoroughly. My personal favourite is Pro Writer. I pay a small fee for the extras, but it works with Microsoft word and is the best one I have used.
After the spelling and grammar make it even easier to read, you are ready for a reader. Someone who can be honest. The reader must understand what it is you are telling, teaching, or explaining and find it enjoyable. Put a call out on your site for a reader for that genre. No good getting a horse enthusiast to read a book about making patchwork quilts, if you get my drift.
You have a targeted audience with what you wish to write about, and it will only interest them. Or, who knows, you may have crafted your story with so much passion you entice others into reading whatever is your jam.
*Remember, you cannot edit an empty page, so fill it up. But enjoy the hell out of whatever comes to mind.
*And lastly, here is a monumental piece of advice. When it is all done. You have gone through the steps above and you are happy with your first draft. Find an editor. This is where the actual work begins. Just letting you know ahead of time. The writing of the first draft is just the beginning.
Good luck Newby writer, now go forth and write up a storm. You are in excellent hands, the universe will guide you, and there are writers’ groups to join and people like me who are always close by if you need to chat.
Oh, by the way, this is the first draft just in case there is a checker of spell checkers, chuckle.
Here is the fun I had while I was writing my first book. The first draft took a month to write and took four years before it was ready to be published. That slither in the blue sky… that was the beginning of new worlds within our universe. Yes, I passioned the hell out of that subject.