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The First Steps In Writing A Book
Does It Seem Overwhelming to You?
"Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing."
Thomas A. Edison
I know the feeling….truly! The thought of writing a 75,000 or 100,000 word novel or non-fiction book seems a bit daunting to say the least. Oh, for sure, anyone can write 100,000 words, but to do so in a cohesive form that flows and maintains the interest of the reader? That, my friends, is a tough task.
Many a writer has had a fantastic idea, and has felt compelled to turn that idea into a book, only to falter, stumble and eventually quit because it just seems too difficult. In fact, I dare say that most if not all writers have had a perfectly great idea, but that idea has died on the grapevine because making that idea a reality is just too much.
That’s why I suggest you break things down into manageable steps before you actually begin the writing process. The greatest journeys begin with a single step and blah, blah, and more blah, but it is true. Let’s see if I can’t give you a few of those first steps to play with so that your journey does not seem quite so monumental.
Before you actually start writing your book, try doing the following tasks. They just might make your job easier.

DECLARE A WORKING TITLE
This by no means has to be the final title that you settle upon, but it should at least give you some direction….a focal point….that references your project. We all need direction. We all need a reminder of what we are trying to accomplish. A working title will do that for you.
WHAT GENRE(S) ARE YOU WRITING FOR?
First let me give you a little warning: do not lock into a specific genre too early. Stories have a way of taking on a life of their own, and many a writer has begun a book only to have it change on them in mid-stream. Still, it is nice to have some sort of genre in mind when you start out. So I recommend making a list of the possible genres that your book will fit into. It is quite possible that your book will be a romance and adventure at the same time. It is also quite possible to be a crime drama/fantasy/love story all at once. Make that list and then I think you’ll find things will clarify in time.

DECIDE ON A POINT OF VIEW
Will you be telling this story in first person, second person, or third person.
First person allows you to dig deeper into the main characters personality. It allows you to be more reflective. Second person is the least popular of the three and probably the most difficult to write in. Third person tells the story from the viewpoint of an interested bystander not involved in the book at all.
And yes, it is possible to combine points of view. Many writers have successfully used first person and third person in the same novel, so consider that possibility as well.
If you are using third person, your best bet is to focus on the character who has the most to win or lose in each chapter.
WRITE A HIGH-IMPACT SUMMARIZING PARAGRAPH
Can you sum up your entire book in one paragraph? Try it and you will find it is not nearly as easy as it sounds, but for clarity and focus it is crucial that you do so.
In this summarizing paragraph you should have the conflicts, the goals, and the main motivations of the chief characters. In it you should answer the questions of who, what, why and why not (conflict).
Practice on an old short story you have written. Once you can do it with a short story you should be able to do it with a book after a little practice.

NOW IT IS TIME TO ADD FUEL TO YOUR STORY
Just as an engine needs a spark from the spark plugs to run efficiently, your story needs similar sparks to continue running for a long period of time. These sparks are what carry the story. They add intrigue; they add momentum; and they continually capture the attention and imagination of the readers.
Most writers are quite good at writing the initial spark, but they falter when it comes time to add more throughout the story. Thus their story becomes front-heavy and then drowns in repetition later on.
If you are planning on writing a book of 75,000 words, then plan on having a minimum of three such sparks. For a book with 100,000 words, add a fourth spark.
THE LENGTH OF YOUR BOOK
If you just read the section about sparks, it then stands to reason that the more sparks you include the longer your book will be. It also stands to reason that the longer your book is, the more difficult your task is.
If you are just starting out as a book writer, plan on between 50,000-75,000 for your first book. Follow the K.I.S.S. principle and don’t try to become the next great Russian novelist by writing 250,000 words.
Once you have decided on the length you can plan on the placement of your sparks. One spark should always be at the beginning of the book. Obviously, if you are going to have three sparks then you will want on at the beginning, one in the middle and one towards the end.
One other thing that beginning novelists trip over from time to time is the inclusion of back story. Many first-timers will try to include way too much back story at the beginning of the book. Don’t do this; it only serves to weigh down the book and slow its momentum. Instead, plan on a little back story early on and then dollops of back story throughout the book.
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Now You Are Ready to Begin Your Journey
Finish those suggestions and your first step will have been taken. Please note that these suggestions barely require any writing at all. This is your planning stage. You are building the foundation before framing the walls. No, building a foundation is not exciting or sexy, but without it your walls will collapse….so do it!
Once you have done these things we can move to the next step, mainly identifying characters, deciding on some enhancements, some sub-plots, and some setting descriptions, and if you stay tuned I promise to deliver an article about Step Two soon. In the meantime, you have your homework so get started. Take that great idea that has been bouncing around in your head, and begin pouring your own foundation.
I know it all seems overwhelming but you can do it. I have written two novels now and I begin my third in a month. The first one was tough because I didn’t have a clue how to do it. The second was considerably easier, and I have no doubt that the next one will be easier still.
Like any other skill, it just takes practice.
2014 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Comments
More valuable information! I might even know what I am doing at some point...
You are an inspiration for writers. I know I have to take this to heart!
Bill!
You have left us writers with some great advice and food for thought!
I don't mind the home work, not one bit! In one of my current novels. I am experiencing a difficult time with changing direction in the plot just a little to make sense. The main character has teamed up with a second antagonist, which this second one will continue to the end of this book. As the main character has reached his demise. Any suggestions? Absolutely love reading your awesome stuff!
Shared & Up...:-)
All excellent recommendations.
I think the summarizing paragraph is very important. A challenge is to do it in one or two sentences, like a movie scriptwriter's logline.
The concept of "sparks" is new to me. Can you give some examples from famous novels? Would that be like a happening that changes the trajectory of the story? Would the "sparks" in HUCKLEBERRY FINN be: a) when Huck's father comes back to town; b) when his father kidnaps Huck and locks him in a cabin; c) when Huck escapes and meets the runaway slave Jim; and d) when Jim sacrifices his freedom to nurse the wounded leg of Huck's friend Tom?
Useful tips, Bill. Writing is not easy and writing a book more so. These tips will definitely help those wanting a helping hand to ease out the teething troubles.
Great advice Bill. For me writing a book seems like such a daunting task. I could never embark on a project of that magnitude while still working. But we never know what lies ahead for us so who knows. Great job as usual, now on to read part 2. Have a great weekend.
These are very useful suggestions, Bill. I will certainly use your ideas if I try to write a novel. I love them!
Thanks for sharing more wonderful tips, Bill!
Just what I needed Bill! I have bought so many books lately about how to start writing a book but I still have a blank first page for some reason. Sometimes too much information create an overwhelming feeling and it becomes impossible to sort the information out. You have done that for me and I will save this and pin it. Thanks for sharing and for making it doable, Tina
Finally getting a chance to catch up on my HP reading! Agreed, the baby steps bring us closer to getting the darn thing done.
Being mainly a nonfiction writer, the title is the biggest step forward for me. Once I have that clearly in mind, have done some SEO research on it, etc., the book seems to build itself around it. In all honesty, I don't know how you fiction folks decide on a titles! So I can see how that might be quite a struggle... and an accomplishment.
Dear Bill,
You practice what you teach...so glad you are already thinking to your third book.
Meaningful and motivating...Happy Friday! Love, Maria
This is very good advice for all of us aspiring novelists. Judging by the number of comments on this Hub, I am guessing that you have found a need are filling it beautifully.
These are great tips on how to get started. Summing a book up in a paragraph is indeed challenging!
Thanks again, Bill, for these very sensible instructions. So many writers will thank you when they succeed. I hope to be one of them, so I'll say "thank you"now.
I always envision great novel writers wracked with uncertainty and up into the wee hours of the morning, not knowing what to write, but I think that is because of the movies I've seen. I can see these suggestions being really helpful to novelists.
Thanks again billybuc for these words of encouragement. I have been working on two novels that I can't seem to complete. After reading this hub I think I am going to re-examine them. As usual you have a lot of great ideas. Voted up!
I like this post for many reasons. 1. It is very relevant to me. As I am working on a novel. 2. It's nice to hear that I am not crazy for feeling the hardship of writing a book. 3. It is encouraging.
I hope one day to be a published writer. Hopefully soon we shall see.
Thanks for posting this. It was great!
I've always wondered about that myself, Bill. Afterall, what are imaginations all about? That was my point with Stephen King - I'm sure he didn't experience 80% of what he wrote about (thank goodness).
Billy,
Thank you.
Sally
Billy,
Just wondered, is it possible to use the content one's Hub in an e-book?
I thought this would be considered by HubPages to be duplicate content!
Thanks
Sally
Here's a 'PS' for you Bill. I've posted a more involved version of this on your 'Artistry with words' blog. A 'quick' insight into the creative process I went through.
As you probably already know, Bill, I have a few under my belt and one in the pipeline as well as the one I'm in the early stages of now (200+ pages, chapter 6 of 20).
The one I've recently finished and awaits publication after the cover's been sorted, amounts to 705 MS pages, over 156.5K words and 21 chapters.
My main characters are carried over from one to the next part of the saga, new ones added and some earlier ones killed off (I've become known as 'Lanc the Slayer' in the literary world). It's the Conquest era, after all. Some don't get killed off, some won't because when these stories finish with leafy old England they move on east to Denmark, Russia and Asia Minor - maybe even (secretively) back to England.
Where do I get my characters?
The main one is based on an idea I borrowed from an interview in a national Sunday tabloid with the singer James Blunt who said he had an ancestor who was related to the Danish royal family in the 11th Century, who fought alongside Harold at Hastings. Ker-chink!
Just what I'd been looking for! Many are from the Chronicles, 1066-1072 and later, a number have been created. It's like the Bayeux Tapestry, a mix of fact and fiction!
We all need sparks, whether writing a novel or whatever. I never thought about it being a spark. ( interesting word. ) and it makes good sense. Your helpfulness never ceases. Thank you.....
A great guide on how to get started on what I would imagine is an overwhelming process. I predict the views on this hub will set a new record when your novel becomes a bestseller!
The spark definitely has gone out of my novel. I have about 300 pages of crap right now. I really either need to start over from the beginning or scrap it and start a new project.
This is so useful for me! I'm one of those who gets the idea, writes a few things down, maybe the introduction, then I get stuck!
I'm going to keep this hub beside me to use as I get down to my story next time. Thank you so much for the perfect guide - told you my week was going well and this has improved it even more!
Back soon! Ann
As always, your hub is filled with great advice. If I would've taken a creative writing class in high school or college, I would've probably known most of these basics before I wrote my first novel. Since I'm sure there are other people out there who never took those classes yet want to write a novel, they should find this article very helpful. I learned from experience, but you provide a way for people to learn these things before they even get started. Great job!
Some valid pointers for a second timer who is trying to put things into perspective as a narrator.
Enjoyed Rushdie's video. He is a fine author!
I like your ideas on the sparks. And your right - any novel I've read has them. Tom Clancy was a master at adding background. You did have to work at getting into his novels, but then once you did, you had trouble putting them down.
I don't know that I'll ever write a book, but I will definitely keep these suggestions in mind if I do. I've also heard you should write about things you know about. Wonder where Steven King came up with a car that had a mind of its own and a cat buried in a cemetery that came back to life?
Thanks for the hub. I am trying my hands at writing a novel and I am having trouble finding the time to do it. I realize if it was important enough I would find the time, but I have a full time job and family needs (2 small kids and a wife) that are pulling me. I know, excuses. :) I am using ywriter (a great program to help organize thoughts) and that helps, but I appreciate the hub to push me to continue on!
I think I will dig out my latest novel billy and check it for these sparks, they do sound important and of course we want what we do to be the best it can be. Bookmarking this and again thanks for all your help and advice. ^
Billy
Fascinating read. I have wanted to write 'my story' since I was a young girl. I hope I get to do it sometime though I have this idea that I would like to write a non fiction book on felting.
It is strange how one sometimes start out with a goal in mind and then the posts shift when you are least expecting them to. That I guess is what makes life so very interesting. The trick I think is to have your eyes wide open for the opportunities and seize them before they too are lost.
Best wishes,
Sally
I have ghost written a number of books and ebooks, but every time I think of writing a book with my byline I get writer's freeze. This is when you become completely immobile with fear. It's a phrase invented by me because of my personal experience. I presently have a novel, completed but needs editing, close to copywriting, and this has been the situation for the last six months. I wrote the novel pretending I would use a pseudonym. Now, as we near the end I am at writer's freeze. it sucks. if you could tell me how to deal with writer's freeze I would be very, very grateful.
Great hub! I would love to writer a full-length novel one day. I have gotten half--way through a manuscript once but neglected to finish it and then lost it all (200 pages approximately) when my computer crashed :( oh how I wish we had cloud storage back then! It makes me scared to start again having lost so much, but I hope one day I will finish!
More great ideas Billy; your teachings are endless and how lucky are we to have as our Teacher. Great hub and voting up for sure. Enjoy your day .
Eddy.
I learned some things from you today, namely that I went about planning my novel backwards. I got an inspiration from a very unusual ancestor and decided to do a novel based on her. It had to be fiction because I found one paragraph describing her. After I wrote a couple of chapters, I realized two things: one, I had to postpone writing the novel until I had time to check out some historical facts, including the lay of the physical geography, which were pertinent to the story; two, since I don’t go for writing a bunch of sex and gore, it was sounding more like a teen novel. I realize that the teen and YA market is a great market, so I want to re-slant the book toward older teens and young adults. In the meantime, I’ll keep reading your hubs and learning. Thanks for the advice.Voted up++
P.S. What do you think of prologues? Do people (I read them faithfully) actually pay any attention to them or do they skip to the first chapter? I want to include one instead of using a back story to explain the beginning.
Excellent tips and very motivational. One day I'll get around to my book. Hopefully :)
All these tips are so useful, especially for anyone who has never wrote a book. The thought of that really is overwhelming but you make it sound much more possible by breaking it down into these steps. I especially like the advice on having those sparks and avoiding writing too much back story in the beginning. Those are so helpful to keep in mind. I'll be pinning, as well, for reference. :)
I have followed these first steps and ready for part two!
Bill, this is great information, simple but effective. You are spot on, 100,000 words is very daunting, but I think this hub will help me to get back on board and take it a step at a time. Bless you, I'm pinning this for reference. Take care and have a smashing day my friend.
Morning Bill, I am sharing breakfast with you this morning, although I have eaten a couple of hours ago LOL, anyway, off to the doctor today, so at home for the moment.
These are truly helpful tips here. I am off to a great start in the writing of my book and also have a great ending. However, it is that transitioning of writing a story by starting really at the end and then going back to the beginning, which is very tricky! I am using both the first and third person.
Those sparks are oh so important at just the right places!
Enjoy your day,
Faith Reaper
Your reference to the difficulty of writing the first novel versus the ease of subsequent novels reminds me of what my mother said when she gave birth to my sister. She said the third one was a piece of cake. Just thought I'd share that random thought with you. :-)
I had an interesting assignment a couple of weeks ago in my fiction writing class. We were to write a beginning passage then a final passage tying the two together. I'm using my novel-in-the-works for all of my assignments. At first I thought it would be difficult but I actually found it enlightening. I used the first few paragraphs of The Gifts of Faith, chapter one as the base. Then I actually wrote the final paragraphs of the book. I felt thrilled and excited after completing the assignment. I now know how my story will end. All I have to do now is fill in the events leading up to the finale. Pretty cool!
As always this hub is inspiring and unbelievably helpful. Everyone keeps telling me I have a book inside of me. I haven't found it yet! My 90 year old uncle is currently writing a book. He reads me a chapter every now and then and I have to say it is fabulous! Voted up, useful, interesting and awesome.
A well-advised hub on writing a book I have been thinking about my good first book your ideas are helpful.
How timely this hub is for me. I've finally started working on the first chapters of a book with a story line that's been floating loosely in my head for years. Two chapters in and I'm still not sure if I want to be speaking in first or third voice. I had not thought of planning a strategy for the 'sparks'...only knew that there needed to be some. Thank you for putting some direction behind my march!
Wonderful tips Bill and I totally think you laid it out perfectly and simply here. I have written the actual book.novel myself, but the editing for me is what I can't truly get back to right now. Hoping when I have more free time, maybe once my girls are both in school full-time, but totally pinned this, because you always do give great book writing advice and very much do appreciate it. Have a beautiful, Thursday now!
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