10 Writing Tips You Can Use Today [From Experts!]
"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." - Mark Twain
The hardest thing about writing a book is that it is not published. It's the actual writing. In this article, I offer 10 steps for writing a book.
As an author, I can tell you without hesitation that the hardest part of a writer's job is to sit down to do the job. After all, books don't just write themselves. You must invest everything possible to create an important piece of work. For years I dreamed of becoming a professional writer. I thought I had important things to say that the world needed to hear. But when I look back at what it really takes to become an author, I realize how different the process was from what I expected.
For one thing, you don't just sit down and write a book. That's not how writing works. You write a sentence, then a paragraph, and maybe, if you're lucky, an entire chapter. The writing is done in fits and starts, with bits and pieces. It's a process. The way you get the job done is not complicated. You do step by step, then one more and another. When I look back at the book I wrote I can see that the way it was made was not as glamorous as I once thought.
Phase 1: Getting started
We all have to start somewhere. When writing a book, the first phase consists of four parts:
1. Determine what the book is about
Good writing is always about something. Write your book's argument in a sentence, then stretch it to a paragraph, then a one-page outline. Then write a table of contents to help you write, then divide each chapter into a few sections. Think of your book in terms of beginning, middle and end. With anything more complicated, you will get lost.
2. Set a daily word count goal
John Grisham started his writing career as a lawyer and new father - in other words, he was very busy. Nevertheless, he got up an hour or two early every morning and wrote a page a day. After a few years he had a novel. A page a day is only about 300 words. You don't have to write much. You just have to write often. Setting a daily goal gives you something to strive for. Make it small and attainable so that you can achieve your goal and build momentum every day.
3. Set a time each day to work on your book
Consistency makes creativity easier. You need a daily deadline to do your job - that's how you finish writing a book. Feel free to take the day off, but plan in advance. Never miss a deadline; don't let go so easily. By setting a daily deadline and regular writing time, you can ensure that you don't have to think about when to write. When it is time to write, it is time to write.
4. Write in the same place every time
It doesn't matter whether it's a desk, a restaurant or the kitchen table. It just has to be different from where you do other activities. Make your writing location a dedicated space so that you are ready to work when you enter it. It should remind you of your dedication to finishing this book. Again, the goal here is to not think and just start writing.
Phase 2: do the work
Now is the time to get started. Here we're going to focus on the following three tips to help you get the book done:
5. Set a total number of words
Start with the end in mind. Once you start writing, you will need a total number of words for your book. Think in terms of ten thousand work steps and divide each chapter into roughly equal parts. Here are some general guiding principles:
- 10,000 words = a pamphlet or business whitepaper. Reading time = 30-60 minutes.
- 20,000 words = short eBook or manifest. The Communist Manifesto is an example of this, with approximately 18,000 words. Reading time = 1-2 hours.
- 40,000-60,000 words = standard non-fiction book / novella. The Great Gatsby is an example of this. Reading time = three to four hours.
- 60,000 - 80,000 words = long non-fiction book / novel of standard length. Most Malcolm Gladwell books fit into this range. Reading time = four to six hours.
- 80,000 words - 100,000 words = very long non-fiction book / long novel. The four-hour working week falls within this range.
- 100,000+ words = epic novel / academic book / biography. Reading time = six to eight hours. Steve Jobs's biography would fit into this category.
6. Give yourself weekly deadlines
You need a weekly goal. Make it a word to keep things objective. Celebrate the progress you've made while still being honest about how much work remains to be done. You have to have something to strive for and a way to measure yourself. This is the only way I will ever get work done: with a deadline.
7. Get early feedback
Nothing is worse than writing a book and then rewriting it because you didn't let anyone look at it. Ask a few trusted advisors to help you discern what's worth writing. These can be friends, editors, family. Just try to find someone to give you honest feedback early on to make sure you're going in the right direction.
Phase 3: completion
How do you know when you are done? Short answer: it is not. Not really. So here's what you do to properly end this book writing process:
8. Commit to shipping
Whatever happens, finish the book. Set a deadline or have one set for you. Then release it to the world. Send it to the publisher, release it on Amazon, do whatever you need to do to get it to the people. Just don't put it in your drawer. The worst would be if you quit as soon as this thing is written. That way you don't do your best work and you can't share your ideas with the world.
9. Embrace failure
As you near the end of this project, know that this will be difficult and you will definitely screw up. Just be okay when you fail and give yourself grace. That's what will support you - the determination to keep going, not your elusive standards of perfection.
10. Write another book
Most authors are ashamed of their first book. I sure was. But without that first book, you'll never learn the lessons you might otherwise miss. So explain your work, fail early and try again. This is the only way to get better. You have to practice, which means you have to keep writing.
Every writer started somewhere, and most of them started to squeeze their writing into the cracks of their daily lives. That's how I started, and it could also be where you start. The ones who make it are the ones who show up day after day. You can do the same.
The reason most people never finish their books
Millions of books remain unfinished every year. Books that could have helped people, brought beauty or wisdom into the world. But they never got there. And somehow the reason is always the same: the author quit.
Maybe you have solved this. You started writing a book, but never finished it. You were stuck and didn't know how to finish it. Or you completed your manuscript but didn't know what to do next. Worse, you wrote a book, but nobody cared. Nobody bought or read it. I've been through this too.
In fact, the first few books I wrote didn't do very well at all, even with a traditional publisher. It took me years to learn this, but here's what no one ever told me:
Before you can launch a bestseller, you must write one first. - Jeff Goins
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