How to Write 2: How to Start Writing a Book/Article

All books/articles have a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning lays down the scenario, the middle puts the readers in the thick of the action and the end wraps up the book/article. Your idea should have these three basic components.

 

We will now talk about the writing process itself. Some of my books have started on a piece of paper before being transferred to a computer. I write as ideas come. This might be on a bus, train or while I'm playing around on the computer. I don't worry about what I'm writing or how it will be developed because my initial concern is getting it all down on paper. And the same goes for you. A book/article will seem like an insurmountable mountain until you actually get pick up a pen (or keyboard) and start writing away. You will find that once you get started, you'll get more ideas and the book/article will have a life of its own. Ignore that little voice in your head that's telling you you're writing rubbish. Just keep on writing. And remember that whatever you write now will be edited later. And for those that don't know, editing is simply fine-tuning an article or manuscript to make it the best it can possibly be. 

 

Writers have different ways of writing. Some prefer to get it all down and edit later. Others write and edit at the same time. There are no right or wrong ways of doing this. Find out which works best for you and stick with it. 

 

Writing is hard work and do not let anybody tell you any different! I don't know why people think it's the easiest thing in the world to sit in front of a computer screen and type away. Sometimes, the words don't come. Sometimes, changing a tiny thing on page 4 results in a 100 page overhaul because that tiny thing changes the storyline completely. For example, a crime thriller. Substituting nail clippers for a pair of scissors as the murder weapon changes a whole load of things. It determines whether the fatal wound would be from a blunt or sharp instrument thus changing the angle of the investigation. It also determines where or how to chase up the manufacturer of the weapon. All these things have to add up. And it takes a lot of prayer, patience and skill.

 

 

Schedule your writing time. This might be just ten minutes in the morning, at night or whatever you can grab. If you complain about not having time to write, try using the time you use to complain to write. You'll be surprised at how much you will accomplish. Look at your writing as a project or a job and go after it with everything you've got.

 

Fine-tuning your book/article