How To Write A Book: Five Simple Steps To Start Today

For many people, writing a book has been a lifelong dream, and maybe just always seemed just out of reach. So what’s the secret formula that will unlock your creativity and help you write a book that will make your dreams come true?

To help you answer this question, we have put together these 5 basic steps from the most prolific, successful writers in the business.

Establish a writing habit

Feeling overwhelmed when starting to write a book is natural to all new writers, but you must remember this journey always begins with the first page. So the first thing you should do isto form a writing habit by yourself. Try to schedule your writing time daily so you can stick to a solid writing routine that will allow you to make real progress.

Your writing habit can start small. Don’t put pressure on yourself thinking that you must write your every thought on a page. You can begin with just a paragraph, or even a sentence.

The purpose of this action is to commit to your writing session everyday until it has become your second nature.

Find your ideas

An important thing you absolutely need before writing a book is an idea. Without ideas, you will never pass through the first page or a draft.

You don’t need to create high concept ideas at first because it is quite time-consuming for a beginner. You may want to start simple by asking yourself a few question such as:

• What do I really want to write about?
• Will I be able to make this idea effective?
• Who will want to read my story?

Your specific answers will help you narrow it down to your best option.

On the other hand, if you don’t come up with any ideas, these questions should lead you to a firmer direction. Just think about the kinds of books you love to read or have a big impact on your creativity.  

Do research about your selected genre

After completing your idea, it’s time to do some research on the genre you want to write. It is also easy if you decide to write the sort of book you like to read, you already have your very own advantage! Reading books in your genre is by far the most effective way to learn how to write in that genre yourself.

But if you wanna challenge yourself by selecting a different one, you will want to select a couple of representative titles and analyze them. Below are 3 questions, we think you should look closely and mark it as your research key points  

• How long are they and how many chapters do they have? 
• What does the story structure look like? 
• What are the major themes? 

Create an outline

The first step is to create an outline of your book and list what you want included in it. This is where you want to think about and lay out all the chapters, as well as jot down a few notes on what each chapter can include. We have listed out some essentials an outline should encompass: 

• Choose a format that suits you: There are plenty of formats such as the free-flowing mind map, the rigorous chapter-and-scene outline, the character-based outline,etc… Select ones that you are capable of.  
• Have a beginning, middle and end structure: You have to try to blend all three parts perfectly.
• First glance of your characters: your outline is a perfect opportunity to start crafting dynamic characters and how those characters interact in your story. 

This is just pure brainstorming and getting your ideas to paper as an outline. By creating an outline, it will help you throughout the writing process as you won’t have to think as much about what each chapter will contain.

Maintain your concentration 

Once you get into the flow of starting your book, you want to remain focused through the duration of your writing session. Any break to your concentration can set you back 20-30 minutes and disrupt your flow.

We become less efficient when we are distracted, and it can end up taking twice as long to complete our writing.