How to write a book.

“The path into a book you write is a shadowy one. It’s for this reason that so many of us take an avid interest in others’ working methods… I was particularly taken by American author Janet Burroway’s summary. ‘Once I’m working… the process is much the same in every genre: the effort to get myself to the computer, a period of grumpy struggle, despair, the luminous solution that appears in bed or bath, joyful work; repeat; repeat; repeat.’

The grumpy struggle, despair, the luminous solution - how elegant and accurate a description of this slow emergence of a work of literature.” ~ Charlotte Wood

The thing that I love most about the quote above is the word slow.

The method of book writing that I subscribe to - and teach and support - is one of slowness, of taking one’s time. There is so much about our modern culture that has us rushing, constantly and if I’m honest, I’m unsubscribing from it.

A quick search online with the words ‘how to write a book’ will reveal millions of pieces of writing advice. I have simplified the book writing process into 9 simple steps:

Vision

You have an idea for a story you want to tell. Why does this story mean something to you and why it is important to write. Knowing these two things is crucial and so I created The Vision Method to follow along with through my own book writing journey.

Capture the Vision: discover the heart of your book

Expand the Vision: the act of writing your story, your way with a self-created writing plan that works with your life.

Complete the Vision: bring your book to life in a way that fully realises your vision.

Plan your process

There are no right and wrong ways to write a book, only the process that works best for you. Self-awareness of your writing preferences will always make you a better writer. Regardless of your writer archetype, if you don’t have some kind of plan in place, you will invariably lose your balance, fall, and when you get back up again, the excitement/ motivation/ momentum is gone and you’re left wondering ‘what the f*ck do I do now’.

Knowing your process will help to keep your writing in motion… allow every new day to be a fresh start. A poor writing session on a Monday doesn’t mean you’ll have a bad week. A hard week doesn’t mean we write off the whole month.

Write your first draft

Starting and finishing the first draft of a book is tough - I’ve recently waded through my own first draft.

It is okay if the weight of writing your first draft frightens you. It is a little like standing at base camp, looking towards the mountain summit.

A gentle reminder: your first draft is not a book, yet. It is normal for us put too much pressure on our stories to be more than than what they are. We’re going to take the pressure off your first draft and allow it to simply be a first draft.

Give yourself permission to create something that is messy - all first drafts are anyway! The process of writing your first draft will be so much easier if you accept that it will be a mess!

It makes me sad when I see writers start writing and never end up finishing their first draft because of the weight of expectation and pressure that we place on a first draft; it robs us of our creative joy.

Alpha readers

Alphas approach your work as a writer-reader, as someone who can help you to identify any holes or missed connections in your story. They’re looking at the big picture and helping you identify what is working, what isn’t, and what parts of your vision are not yet translating onto the page.

Structural Edit

You will be looking at the big picture, including but not limited to timelines, chapter structure, character arcs etc. You’re looking to make sure the narrative thread/storyline/theme is clear and sustained and that there is a cohesive flow to the whole book.

Copy Edit

The copyedit is when you will zoom in and focus on the language used. The style guide is relied upon heavily in this part of the process to ensure consistency.

Beta Readers

Beta readers usually come in after you’ve done structural and copy edits and are going to give you feedback on their experience reading your book – what they liked and what they didn’t.

Proofreading

The proofread is a quality check, executed in conjunction with the style guide. It is not an edit but the process of highlighting any errors or mistakes. Proofreading is the final check that allows the story to do its thing, uninterrupted.

The final step

This one is up to you and will depend on what your personal writing goals are.

If you set out to write a book for yourself, it is time to celebrate! You did it!

If self-publishing is your goal, there is a process for that too.

If traditional publishing is your goal, it is time to prepare your story to pitch!