How To Get Started With Writing A Book

Before getting started with the blog post, let me make it crystal clear that – this post is not a how to write a book in 7 days guide. If a book can be written in 7 days, I would like to know about it for sure. I have written and published three novels, and it took me more than six months to finish my books. If you are looking for a quick novel writing guide, you have come to the wrong place. 

With that being said, those who are not looking for a how to write a book in 7 days tutorial may stick around because we have things to discuss. I am Anasua Ghosh, I am an author, reader, blogger, and writing coach. In this post, I am going to tell you how to write a book. So, without further delay, let’s get started.

The Idea 

Every book begins with an idea or a character. You see someone and you get that aha moment. You think – oh great, I can turn this individual into a character and write a book on them. From there your novel can shoot up. Or, you may read about an event and get an idea for a novel. The idea triggering moments are many. But the problem arises when you don’t have an idea, and yet you want to write a book. In that case, you gotta go hunting for your book idea. Therefore, here your search should begin with how to find an idea for a book instead of how to get started with writing a book. 

Idea hunting can be fun. Everything you see, everything you read, everyone you meet can be your story. If you can properly shape these, you will be able to write a book if not in 7 days, but in 7 months for sure. But you must know how to develop your idea into a novel. I am going to come up with a separate post on this.

The Outline

I am a plotter. I create detailed outlines of my novels. And I believe that if you want to know how to get started with writing a book, you should first know how to create a novel outline. Every writer follows their own writing rule, and you need to develop your own rules as you keep writing. However, when you are getting started with writing a novel, it is better to have a road map within your reach. Again, outlining a novel is a vast topic and I cannot cover it here. So, I will cover the topic in a separate post.

The Research

Well, yes, research is an essential part of novel writing. If you are not willing to put effort and time into doing research, this how to get started with writing a book guide is not for you. If you want to know how to write a book, you need to know how to research your book. Some writers are subscribed to the idea that only sci-fi or historic novels need research work. It is a wrong concept. Every genre has something unique to offer. Even if you are writing a contemporary romance novel, you will need to do some sort of research work. If nothing else, you at least need to look at some home interiors to build your story world. 

The Routine

Every how to get started with writing a book guide will tell you to create a writing routine and rightfully so. Procrastination is an enemy you need to defy. Everyone procrastinates. Everyone compromises with their writing time. Suddenly you will find that watching a show is more important than finishing that one chapter. It happens to everyone. That’s why we all have a writing routine. Now, how you plan your writing time is totally up to you. How much you write every day is also up to you. Your responsibility as a writer is to write daily. 

Don’t Edit

Well, don’t edit while you are writing your book. If you keep editing, you will slow yourself down. Therefore, keep going no matter what till you hit the fucking The End. Once you are there, sit back, celebrate a little, and then get back to writing the second draft. Duh…

With this, I am gonna wrap it up. I will be back with more on writing and getting published. Till then keep writing.