“I want to write a book”.  Have you ever said that to yourself or others?  I certainly have heard that said by several members of my family.  Writing a book isn’t that hard and it doesn’t have to take forever.  In fact the longer it takes you the less chance there is that you’ll ever finish it.  For some people just being able to say that they are writing a book is enough, but not for me and possibly not for you.  Would you like to know exactly how do you write a book?  Once you have read this article you’ll have a much better idea of the steps and process involved.  You can begin writing your own book and start down the path of becoming a published author.

There isn’t any need to go hide in some pokey garret or hut in the mountains so that you have uninterrupted writing time.  I know that there are many stories about authors who have done exactly that.  I suppose that they think they have to for their own reasons but for most of us that just isn’t necessary.

If you are not writing a fiction novel or something that requires a great deal of creativity the craft of writing is something which can be learned and, with some good research skills and some help you can learn how to write a short story in a matter of hours or a complete the writing of a  whole book in a matter of one or two days.  Sounds like a real load of horse manure doesn’t it?  It’s true though and you can do it.  Remember you are not trying to write the ultimate Pulitzer Prize winning novel, you are just trying to get the story inside you out onto the screen or paper.  Before you can publish a novel you have to write it.  Before you can write it you have to do your homework and preparation.

So what sort of book do you want to write?  Do you want to write a children’s book, a biography or a novel?  No matter what type of book you want to write there are some simple steps to writing a book you need to follow.  These are the same if you are writing a children’s book or a historical novel.

Research:  It is important that you do your research first.  With the internet and the power of the search engines this is much easier than it used to be.  Start with the topic of interest for your book and follow the search results.  Build a collection of keywords and key phrases which describe different aspects of your new book.  Read the results and collect information in text files.  Sometimes your searching will turn up different angles, unusual paths to follow and fascinating people.

Plot:  Develop the plot.  This is really just a rough draft of where the book starts and how it ends.  Fill in the details in the middle and decide what characters you need in your book.  Some writers like to storyboard their plot.  This is a technique used by the movie makers and even more extensively in the cartooning industry.  The idea is that you make up a single frame, like a cartoon frame, for the significant parts of your plot and either draw the scene or describe it intensively.  You don’t need to use all the detail when you are writing but the detail will help your work become more believable.

Personas:  Develop the characters in your book.  The main characters will need to be well described, in writing, because they are what will carry your story and they need to be believable.  If your characters are believable and you keep them in character then your writing will flow naturally.  This is possibly the biggest secret of learning to write a book, one that many aspiring authors either don’t do or don’t do fully.  Try it and discover why this is the best help writing a book that makes sense.

Write like a maniac:  Yep, write fast and furious.  You’ve done your research, your have the story flow path and the characters so you now need to write without thinking about it.  You know the story, you plotted it.  You know the characters, you invented them.  Don’t judge your writing, don’t proof read it as you go, don’t even spell check it.  Just write your book.

Follow the steps above if your really want to learn to write a book.  Research, Plot, Personas, Write furiously.  In this manner you can write a novel, write newspaper articles, write sonnets for your poetry book, write articles for magazines etc. 

This is how to write a short story or any other type of book.  Follow these tips on writing a book and then you’ll have it written.  After proofing it, correcting spelling and grammar errors you’ll be ready to publish your novel, children’s book, collection of sonnets or any other type of writing you set out to do.

Then you need to decide if you are going to find an agent and get your work of art published in hard copy or go the self publishing path and publish either in hard copy or online.

Bearly Books is a website dedicated to helping new and budding writers improve their writing, get through the challenge of getting themselves published.

Visit Bearly Books to find out more about how to self-publish.