Home Simple tips for writing a great book
Local

Simple tips for writing a great book

academic writingPretty much everyone has thought about writing a book at some point or another. Some people are interested in writing a fiction book, while others want to create their own biography. Either way, writing a book can be much tougher than you might imagine. It takes a lot more work than just sitting down and typing. You’ll need to plot your course well in advance to ensure that your book turns out to be spectacular in the long run. Within this guide, you will discover several simple tips for writing a good book.

Digital Or Conventional

First and foremost, you’re going to need to choose a medium. You can type your book out on the computer or you can use a pencil and paper. Either option works exceptionally well. If you’re going to use the computer option, you need to make sure that you take steps to back up your work. Otherwise, you might lose everything after a power surge.

Starting From The End

The beginning of the book is undoubtedly one of the most important. However, the ending is just as important and it’ll prove to be much harder. Any serious writer will tell you that ending a story is very tough. With that being said, you should knock the hardest part out as quickly as possible. Figure out how you’re going to end your story from the get go. Then, it’ll all be downhill from there.

Outline With Chapters

It is also a good idea to create an outline for your book. How many chapters do you need and what will happen in each? Many people wonder how many words in a novel will be acceptable. The truth of the matter is that it doesn’t matter. Don’t try to shoot for a specific number of words or chapters. Instead, you should start with the ending. Then, jump right into the beginning. From there, you should let your story flow until it is finished perfectly. Using chapters is a good way to stay on track and keep your book organized.

Understand Your Characters

Your characters will be the most important component of your story. If your characters are dull, your story is going to be boring as well. Before doing anything else, you need to get to know your character much better. Create a biography for each and try to understand their motivations. It is also vital to gain better insight into the characters’ arcs and struggles. Knowing this ahead of time will make your book so much more interesting and compelling.

Let It Flow

After that, it is really time to just let it flow. When writing your first draft, you should feel free to let your creativity run wild. Do not feel obligated to refine anything yet. Don’t bother fixing grammar errors either. Get everything down on paper or on your computer. Once your first draft is completed, you can always go back and fix things here and there. Be sure to take a break in between. Reread the draft and go from there. With patience, your book will be amazing!

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.