Writing a book is one of the most exciting and difficult creative processes to engage in. Whether you are driven by a compulsion to share a story, to convey information to others, or even if you just want to see your name on the cover of a published work, the way from idea to manuscript is a complex and important journey. So, it’s important to understand what exactly goes into writing a book, as well as the journey that comes with it. It can seem complicated at first, but it requires a bit of a leap of faith and trust in yourself. So, for today’s post, I’ll be covering 10 things that you need to know before you start writing your first book.
Find Your Reason for Writing
Before you even start writing your first book, you should try and figure out what is the reason that you actually want to write a book. Are you looking to inspire others? Do you feel like you are a person who has a story inside you that must be told? Do you have a vision of becoming a published author one of these days? Whatever your reason is, making your motivation clear to yourself will keep you guided through the ups and downs of the process.
Another reason why you want to find the “reason” for writing is that knowing your purpose can actually help you feel motivated even after the initial excitement vanishes. Writing a book is a long-term commitment, and being aware of what drives you will keep you focused and on-task with your writing, even when things feel less exciting.
Find Your Genre, Identify Your Audience
One important thing to keep in mind before you even start writing your first book is that you need to figure out what genre you want to write and who your target audience is going to be. You can pick to write a grimdark fantasy, a horror book, a romance novel, or something else entirely. Whatever genre you pick, there are conventions and expectations, and prospective readers will likely want a book that can speak to them.
Along with this is knowing the audience of your book. Who are you aiming to get as a reader base? What are their interests and reading habits? What sort of books are they looking for? What are some common tropes they enjoy?
Understanding your genre and audience will help you figure out what sort of book you will want to write.
Set Writing Goals
Writing and publishing a book is definitely not an easy task and it definitely takes time. With such a big task to deal with, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed at first. So, one thing I recommend is to ensure that you are setting writing goals and that you are making it easier for yourself.
You want to break the writing process down into smaller chunks of content. For instance, your goal is to write 2,000 words every day. This way, you know exactly what is expected of you and you know precisely what you want to have done by the end of the day.
A clear, specified timeline will keep you on pace and avoid the dreaded depths of procrastination and writer’s block. However, being flexible is equally important. Life can get in the way. It’s OK to reset your goals as needed, so long as you keep moving forward and recover later.
Create a Writing Schedule
One thing that I recommend for many people is to actually have an established writing schedule that you can go off of in line with your writing goals. Having a time of day where you know that you will be writing will allow you to basically force yourself to write and get your goals accomplished. Whether you enjoy writing during the day or at night before you go to bed, you want to find the time that works for you and try to set your writing time around that.
Along with your schedule, you also want to try and find a space where you will be writing. This could be your kitchen table, your office, your bed, a cafe, or something else. Whatever you decide to use, you want to ensure that you find a place and time that you are comfortable writing in.
Conduct Research Properly
Research is very important in the writing process—for instance, if your book deals with history, science, technology, or it has a unique location. Even fiction writers need to research in order to properly world build. I personally research all the time by reading lots of books (check out this post about history books about Ancient Rome if you’re interested) and I 100% recommend that every fiction writer take inspiration from mythology and history for their stories.
Efficient research can help to prevent inaccuracies that may take away your credibility as a writer. However, doing too much research might overwhelm you so keep your research focused and balanced and concentrate on what’s necessary.
If you want tips on how to properly research, check out this post!
Outline Your Book First
An outline can be thought of as a road map that can guide you through the writing process. An outline, in my opinion, is better to start with than to just start writing out of the blue. I personally used to be a more spontaneous writer and I wouldn’t really plan my stories, but once I started planning, I found that it helped me focus and concentrate my ideas and actually have an idea of where I wanted my stories to go.
An outline is a flexible thing, however, because your story can and will change as you are writing. You’ll come up with better ideas, find inspiration for something else, and your story may take an entirely different direction by the end of the writing process. So, my recommendation is that you outline and allow it to help you, but not constrain you.
If you want to learn how to outline a book in one day, check out this post! If you’re still unconvinced about outlining, check out this post to see why I recommend every writer outline their story.
Accept that Your First Draft Will be Flawed
One thing I see a lot of new writers do is expect their first drafts to be absolutely perfect. This couldn’t be further from the truth–ask any writer and they’ll tell you that the first draft is always really messy and full of errors, plot holes, gaps, and inconsistencies. But this is perfectly normal and expected.
You need to think of the first draft as basically getting your ideas out on paper and that it’s not your final product. From there, you’ll need to actually proofread, edit, get beta readers, find feedback, and you may even need to rewrite. This is fine and expected, actually.
Create Your Writing Style
One thing that I find some writers are unsure about is finding their writing voice, per se. My recommendation is that you treat your first book as a sort of experiment where you can play around until you find what sort of style and tone you enjoy writing. I personally found that I really like to write stories with morally gray characters, high-stakes action, lots of suspense, and some elements of horror. You tend to find that in most of my books–especially my series, The Fallen Age Saga–because I felt like I could convey the most with this style.
Don’t be afraid to try out different writing styles and don’t feel intimidated if you don’t know what yours is yet. I’ve spent nearly ten years crafting my writing style, tone, and voice, so just know that it’ll take you some time until you find a groove that works for you.
Don’t Stall Getting Feedback
One thing that I would consider to be very important in the writing process is to seek feedback and seek it fast. My recommendation is that you don’t stall trying to get feedback, because you may not realize that certain things don’t make sense or don’t add up until you’ve basically written your whole book and you may need to go back and change a ton of things.
You don’t need to wait until you’re done with the manuscript. You can ask your friends and family or get involved with writing groups. You can also find beta readers to help you out and give you feedback early. If you want to learn more about how to find beta readers, check out this post!
Be Prepared for a Long Ride
One thing that I think some people might not realize when they write their first book is that writing is a longer ride than not. It takes more time than most people think, and it actually requires a pretty good emotional investment. You will feel compelled to write at the most random points in the day, you’ll sometimes find yourself distracted by your writing, and you may feel a bit drained to write other days. The important thing is that you prepare yourself mentally for a fun, but longer journey. Writing a book is such a rewarding thing, but it’s going to take time and that’s perfectly fine!
Conclusion
Even if writing a book seems difficult or a bit of a challenge, just remember that it’s also a very rewarding process. If you’re like me and you had a dream from when you were young about becoming a great author one day, you shouldn’t wait to make that dream come true! Just start writing and you’ll see where your ideas take you.
Before you head on out, be sure to check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so that you can get updates on all my latest book releases, WIPs, and posts!
FAQs
How long does it take to write a whole book?
Writing a whole book honestly takes a variable amount of time because it depends on a number of factors, namely your word count, if your book requires world building, what genre you’re writing in, your personal writing speed, etc… It can take anywhere from a month to several years.
Do I need to write every day?
No, you don’t need to write every day. Life happens and sometimes you’re just not free to write every day, and that’s fine. Just try to set goals for yourself and work around your schedule to figure out your writing frequency.
How do I deal with writer’s block?
Ah, writer’s block, my old nemesis. If you’re dealing with writer’s block, there’s a lot of things you can do to deal with it, but the first thing you want to do is not force yourself to try and write. Sometimes, you just need that break and it’s fine. Your ideas will hit you like a brick one of these days and you’ll forget all about that block. For more tips, check out this post.