How to write a book?

It seems that only someone very special can write a book. How do people do it in general? Of course, it takes a lot of knowledge, imagination, willpower, perseverance, and, of course, the ability to put your thoughts on paper to create your own work. If you have all of this, it's time to put out a bestseller. And we'll give you some tips to help you write your book.

What to write about

Think about why and for what you want to write a book. What do you want to share with readers, what do you want to tell them, what do you want to push them toward? Or, the answer might be, "I want to write a book to make myself famous.

If you are an author of specialized or business literature, find a topic that fascinates you, that you understand, or that you can bring in experts to help.

You can collect in a book the wisdom of many people or the advice your parents gave you that helped you succeed in life. You can write about your life experiences and professional path or describe the biographies of famous personalities.

Or maybe you've long wanted to tell people about fictional worlds and their characters, to open up a fantasy world of the past, present or future? These, too, are great topics for a book that is sure to find its reader.

Whether it's prose, poetry, or nonfiction, one piece of advice: get started!

Make a plan or sketch a story

A book plan, or plot if you're conceiving of a work of fiction, will help you move more easily through the writing process and create a coherent text in the end.

A plan can look in many different ways: consecutive paragraphs resembling the usual content of a book, a map of thoughts, or just a sequence of events. If you're not ready to make a plan yet, write down all the ideas that swarm in your head on separate cards, and then try to assemble them into a single picture.

You may also find short notes describing the key traits and characteristics of the main characters of the work helpful. Such a card index will make the characters more vivid and show the characters more clearly.

How to Start Writing a Book

Start no matter what. Short on time? No suitable place to get some privacy? Thoughts are jumbled and you don't understand what the first chapter will be? Give up those excuses and sit down at any desk, call it work, and start writing.

Many authors write non-linearly: starting in the middle, starting at the end, jumping from thought to thought. This methodology keeps the degree of interest and effectiveness of the work. Write what you're writing, and then you'll put the chapters in the right order and frame them with an introduction and a conclusion.

Write first, edit later

"Write drunk, edit sober," Ernest Hemingway advised. Whether or not to involve alcohol in the writing process is a personal decision for everyone, but the truth is that you should first write with full impulse and immersed in a state of flow, and after a while go back to what you've written and edit. Trying to polish the text while writing, you get out of the state of flow, lose your thought and non-standard turns. But it is much more effective to write 10,000 characters of "uncut" text than to write 3-4 thousand verified and weighed text.

How not to get distracted?

As much as possible, create the ideal conditions for yourself to write a book. What helps you write? Silence, white noise, classical music? Do whatever you can to provide yourself with a perfect environment.

Make a ritual for yourself. For example, Jack Kerouac used to light a candle before he started, and when he finished writing, he'd blow it out. The lit candle was a signal to the brain - time to create. Make up your own ritual that puts you in the mood to work: start at the same time or listen to your favorite piece of music before you work.

How not to give up writing a book?

Make a public announcement. Tell your friends, family, or social media followers that you've started writing a book and plan to finish it by a certain date. A public commitment will keep you on your toes.

Write every day. No matter what's going on, no matter what mood you're in, write for at least 20-30 minutes each day. Try not to break the chain. If at first the muse wanders off somewhere during your work, be persistent. Keep writing, constructing a plot, or gathering materials. Eventually the muse will begin to come in time.

Many books are no more than 30,000 words. If you can manage 150 words in half an hour, you'll write 30,000 words in just over 12 standard work days.

How to write interestingly?

More stories! People love stories from personal experience, they trust them. Be a good storyteller.

Avoid clichés, stable expressions, and boring formal language. Don't cram complex words into dashingly twisted structures. Invent your own imagery and metaphors to captivate the reader with the freshness of your style. Write simple sentences to make the book easy to read. Create and develop your own recognizable style: rhythm, language, imagery.

Where to look for inspiration?

And you don't need it. Really. Think of writing a book as work. It can be easy and enjoyable and sometimes hard and tedious, but it's work, and you have to do it if you want to (insert as appropriate) communicate your ideas, images, and stories, create a real bestseller, make money, become a famous author, and keep writing...

If you only write when you have inspiration, the process can take years, and it may not end at all.

You can, however, spur your brain to create a little. Try taking more walks. They say feet are the wheels of thought. Many writers came up with ideas while walking in the fresh air. Talk to people, listen to music, eat breakfast at your favorite cafe. Or maybe inspiration comes when you do some work around the house or in the garden?

And also observe the world around you, it so often throws up stories and plots, you just need to have time to catch them. Keep a small notebook or smartphone at the ready to record thoughts, observations, and ideas that come to you. If you write down everything that happens around you, very soon you will accumulate material for several books.

We are sure that we have inspired you to finally start writing a book. We wish you luck and look forward to your masterpiece!