Do you have a burning idea or story you’re eager to write down? Perhaps you have started but got stuck. Asking yourself some questions before the act of writing can bring some clarity that will make it easier. Read on for writing tips.
Why?
A good place to start is to clarify your ‘why’. Your book idea is probably unique, interesting and itching to be told. But what is your reason for taking on this project? It’s a big effort to write a book and knowing why can help the process.
- Do you want to tick ‘wrote a book’ off your bucket list?
- Do you want to record all your wisdom as part of your business?
- Do you want to record your life story/memoir for family and friends?
- Do you want to give up work and be a full-time writer?
- Do you want this as a side-hustle?
- Do you just feel driven to write stories?
These are all valid ‘whys’, and maybe it’s simply holding a book authored by you in your hands. Writing a book for the sheer joy of it will take away any fears about someone reading it. But if you do want to make it as a successful self-published author – if you want to earn money from it – there are a few basics that are wise to consider even before you start to write.
What?
The second question is, what are you writing? You will know if you are writing fiction or non-fiction. That’s the most basic categorisation. But these break down into a multitude of sub-topics or genres.
If you are writing to be a commercial success, then it’s pertinent to ‘write to market’ or at least work out in which genre your book fits. If you don’t consider this before you start, it’s difficult to know where to place your book on the virtual and real shelves of bookstores.
Your book may fit in more than one genre. Fear not! Books can go into more than one category (up to 3 on Amazon). It’s important to have an understanding of these so you know which are the most appropriate ones for your book. Even in bricks-and-mortar bookshops and libraries, your book will go into sections like fiction, biography, YA, kids, etc. To investigate some of these categories, head onto the Amazon bookstore. You’ll see down the left-hand panel hundreds of categories and sub-categories. These categories are there so people who are looking for a dark thriller, for example, know where to find it. Amazon has over 10,000 categories, niching down into genres and sub-genres. Romance has 30 sub-genres alone. Readers have expectations for these stories – the arcs, the characters, the tropes. If your book fails to deliver, this can result in poor reviews and few sales. If your book is placed in an obscure or ill-fitting category, no one will be able to discover it.
It’s wise to research other books and find ‘look-alike’ books (known as ‘comps’). You can use other authors and their books to target readers. You’ve seen marketing copy that says, ‘If you like xyz, then you’ll love [your book title]’. See which categories these books are in.
This information is supplied to the bookstores via ‘metadata’. Metadata is any data that describes your book – including title, subtitle, categories, keywords, price, publication date, ISBN and any other relevant information that readers may use to find your book. Readers depend on good metadata to find their next read, and search engines to match your book to the browser.
In order to sell your books, or to make it easier to sell your books, you need to know what types of books are selling in your market. Have a willingness to look at your book as a product as well as a passion project!
Who?
Now you know what type of book you’re writing, it’s time to look at the other end of the page – your reader.
Many writers claim our stories are suitable for anyone. That’s nearly 1.5 billion English-speaking people. Nice if you can make a dollar or two off all of them, but chances are your book will appeal to a much smaller pool. Even splitting into gender and age groups is too large an audience to aim for. This may not seem relevant now, if you are at the beginning of writing your book, but knowing and targeting your audience accurately will make or break your marketing campaign and, consequently, your chances of making any profit from this writing life.
One great tip is to have an imaginary (or real) person in mind when you are writing. This will help you drill down into what your potential reader will find interesting/funny/moving, etc. Then, when you are crafting your advertising copy, you will know exactly what to say to those people. This is also a great way to compose newsletter emails and makes them sound more personal.
How?
Now you have done the groundwork, the why, the what, the who, it’s time to get into the writing process. But how do you get a bunch of thoughts down on a page in a cohesive manner?
This is where plotting and pantsing come in. Yes, these are actual terms used in the writing world! There are many ways to ‘skin a book’. Just like a visual artist, you can approach the process in a myriad of ways, e.g. paint by numbers, make a million sketches before you start, or even draw upside down. The processes and tools matter not, but knowing what works for you will ease the often incredibly hard job of writing a book.
Many of us are somewhere along the spectrum of plotter and pantser. A ‘plotter’ is someone who lays out the bones of the story before diving into the ‘actual’ writing. Some people plot to the nth degree and practically write the whole thing in the plotting process. Others have a loose plan, then flesh it all out in the writing. A ‘pantser’ writes by the seat of his/her pants! They freestyle and let the story unfold with no concern (initially) for plot beats, acts or arc. This is also known as discovery writing. Both ways have their advantages and disadvantages. Pantsers can find themselves in many plot holes, which can be hell to get out of. However, others get bored when they have plotted out the whole thing by the time they get to the writing.
If you are starting out, I’d advise you to experiment, try different approaches, know yourself.
Some well-known plotting methods include The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson, Story Grid by Shawn Coyne, Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and the Anatomy of Story by John Truby.
There are also many choices on where to write. I’m not talking about cafés, libraries or your bed here! Where do you actually put down the words? Again, this comes down to personal preference.
Some of the most common ways to gather your words are pen and paper, Microsoft Word, Google Docs and Scrivener. If writing isn’t your thing, try voice typing. This function is available in Google docs and Word. Another method is by dictation. This is similar to voice typing but uses more accurate programs like Dragon or Otter.
Dictation is a growing form of getting words down super quick and is great for those who have RSI or other physical disabilities. I believe it takes time to get used to writing without the interface of keyboard or pen and paper. Many younger writers use their phone to write or dictate into. Writing the first draft in pen and then dictating it onto Word serves as a great first edit.
Where?
This is a fun question to experiment with. Do you/can you write in bed or in an armchair with a laptop? Do you have a dedicated space where you can tap away uninterrupted? JK Rowling famously wrote at her kitchen table while her kids were small. A café is a favoured spot for many of us. Perhaps you can make this a digital nomad lifestyle and write wherever the winds blow you.
When?
The when is often dictated by the where. Some writers get up at 3 am to get the words down which narrows down potential writing nooks. It’s good to tune in to what times you are most creative and when admin tasks are better done. A common tool is the Pomodoro method of writing in 30-minute blasts and taking a short break between sprints.
When and where can also be dictated by writing groups, like ‘Shut up and Write’ which are a fabulous way to spend dedicated time writing, with accountability buddies to keep you on track.
To Conclude
With a clear purpose, a solid direction with your content, and writing with a reader in mind will set you up to play with your words. Knowing yourself – how, when and where you’re at your optimum will set you up for the easiest route to writing and publishing a book.
I hope these writing tips ease the way for your masterpiece.
