Need help writing a book...

[OSUViking 505]

So I shared my story with you all a few months ago, and I'm pleased to say that I've come a long way in my treatment. One of the things that has helped me is writing and getting my thoughts onto paper before they can control anything. I have two ideas for books that I've had bouncing around for a long time, and I think they're good ideas, but I have no idea how to write a book.

 

I know that there is a decent amount of people here who are active (or used to be active) writers. Would anyone mind giving me some tips on how to start writing my book? Should I brainstorm and plan out my ideas more instead of just having them and then trying to write?

 

I'm more than willing to share my ideas if it would help with your advice. I trust that you guys won't steal them.

[RazorStar 4,025]

My suggestion to you is just start writing, the only way you get better at it is just to keep going. And don't get discouraged when you're just starting out, it takes a lot of refinement and a lot of editing to get a book to where you want it to be. As you do more and more you'll start to see patterns, you'll ask yourself questions when it comes to plot and order of operations and you'll start hammering out some decent text. No time to start like the present.

[OSUViking 505]

Lol, getting discouraged is my biggest issue. I was a few chapters into my first idea when I just started hating what I was writing, and I haven't touched it since. This summer should be prime writing time for me.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Just keep at it, writers basically grow to hate everything they write given enough time, because writing is a constant process of self-improvement.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I'm willing to help in any way possible, but writers can be so drastically different. SteVo, for instance, likes to do outlines. Me, on the other hand, I find my conflict and then my stories kind of go wherever they go. I can't outline, because then I start forcing the story to follow the outline, which usually backfires for me. Obviously, it works for SteVo as evidenced by KoA. What is your process? Do what you trust.

Edited April 11, 2016 by BwareDWare94

[Warhorse 132]

I write completely from a frame of character development. To me...all great writing has characters that readers want to know more about.