Got an idea for a story, get writing...

Get Started

I’m a first time author who never considered writing a book until an idea struck me and I followed through to the end.  You may be asking yourself, “Why would I take the advice of a self proclaimed novice?”  
Well, I can honestly tell you that the lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn remain fresh in my mind.  The bruises from my lessons (i.e. failures) have not all healed as of yet. So, yes reader and potential author, I feel I can help you get started.  

I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “I’ve done this or that for so long, I should write a book.”  This person may indeed have plenty of stories to draw from but I’m betting it’s the big picture that is preventing them from writing. 

Just my guess though. 

I’m going to make the following information as easy to understand as possible for two reasons, first, this is my first blog and I want to be as concise as possible while hopefully getting my points across clearly.  Second, the project of writing a book is daunting and I hope to decrease the anxiety you may feel.  If you are reading this, you most likely have thought of a topic (or more) to write about.  Maybe it was a long time in coming and you’ve been thinking of this for some time, or like me, it was like a thunderbolt.  Either way is fine, but right now is the time to act.  

Like our friend Yoda once said, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Strike fast with a rudimentary outline or just a list of ideas.  This early process does not need to make sense or even take outline form and should not take long.  If you are limited for time at this crucial moment and the idea remains vivid in your head, take any opportunity available. 

​Heck, if you are sitting on the john, take a pad of paper and a pencil and write down your ideas.  This is called multitasking my friend.  ​

Setting Time Aside, With A Twist

Initially, when I began writing, I had read or heard many writers claim that you need to set aside a time to write and remain vigilant.  I’m sure that works for many, however, I stumbled into a slight variation of practice and it worked wonders for me.  

I did set aside a time to write, however, my goal was not to type madly for an hour or two, I would commit to type ideas I may have had during the day such as a new character, a twist in the story or even better yet, an epic ending to my story.  

Since my book idea and storyline was so exciting to me, I would sit at my designated time and type ideas or add/change the outline and nine times out of ten I’d find myself still typing well into my time set aside for writing.  It had a snowball effect.  

You see, as I wrote, I’d see the need to clarify one of the thoughts I had just added.  I would then find myself expanding on the clarification and before I knew it, my son would be hollering out to me that it was dinner time and I’d been writing for over an hour.  

So, in short, set time aside to write but DO NOT feel you have to type for an hour or more.  This can be overwhelming and counterproductive to the process.

If you are going to be serious about your writing endeavor, you will have to set aside time to write, that is a harsh reality, however, and most importantly, you need to make the writing time realistic from the beginning because if it’s not, your writing project will have one foot in the grave before you’ve begun. 

To summarize this point, if you don’t have much time available, do not attempt to set aside two hours a night. 
​
Also, at this stage, it is NOT the time to worry about punctuation.  It’s time to get the ideas down while the faucet of your brain is active and excited.  There will be plenty of time later in the process to worry about commas and run-on sentences.    ​

A perfect example of my system

As an example, I used my system of setting aside time and just concentrating on ideas for this blog, because it’s my first one and I was nervous about beginning this new endeavor.  So, I just decided to type some ideas down and I now find myself almost done and it’s been just about an hour. It’s a scary thing to have a theory and have it work. 😀

An extra tip or two to keep in mind

It is extremely helpful to your story if you have a great ending in mind early in the process.  Many great writers and beginners like myself have used this method with success. During the early stages of my writing, I came across a quote by Toni Morrison, “I always know the ending; that’s where I start.”

Once your first (of many) outlines is in order, it’s time to get into the routine you have set and begin to take the outline and start to mold it into a story piece by piece.  I found it best to begin writing about whatever portion of your idea excites you the most. This can be the ending, a developing character or a story twist. 

​Hell, on days of complete brain lock, begin a list of acknowledgments.  It’s good to keep a list of people who have supported your efforts or have aided in your research.  It is crucial to keep the excitement at a high level in the beginning of your book writing adventure. ​

Begin putting your story together

As your book takes shape, it would be a good time to determine what kind of characters should be added to your story.  As an example, when I was writing my book, I soon realized that the book was taking a very dark and and sinister tone and my story really could use some colorful and eccentric characters. 

​Unfortunately, it is also at this time when you will most likely discover that certain characters or story lines you’ve written about might not really fit as you had hoped.  This is frustrating to be sure. But, alas, you should not throw out this creative writing material. Keep it. You can put this unused writing in storage (whatever format you use) in a research file because the character or story line may be perfect for your next book.  ​

Lastly

​Also, as you write, it is vital that you write down quick thoughts (or scribble them on a pad near you) you may have had while writing or just during the day.  If you are like me, you can forget a thought as fast as you had it. I actually just had this happen to me as I was writing this blog, I hope I can recall it. I think it was important.

While you are in this beginning process, it would be a good idea to meet some local authors.  Many of them would be happy to give you some timely pointers. meeting other authors could be helpful in many ways, from dialogue issues or just some moral support in times of frustration.  

Hopefully you will take some of my advice to heart and maybe make some adjustments that work for you.  If that’s the case, I’d love to hear what you did as it may work for me or other potential writers.  

Remember, the creation of a book is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.  The writing can take some time and the only schedule you need to keep is your own.  If you are going to write a book that was of great inspiration, write it well. My book took three years to complete, it was well worth the time and effort.

The thought I had earlier that I could not recall is gone to the great abyss of my brain.  It may have been brilliant or not-so-brilliant, so, in short, write down everything.  

Good luck, happy writing.

​F.R. Rivers