There is a saying that goes, “there is a story inside of everyone.” I see stories everywhere. People do and say interesting things everyday. I love going to work, going to the store, going to the park and interacting with people. What I find is that there is always a lot to listen to. Take the time to write down your interest, think about what knowledge you have that others might be interested in. You may be surprised that you have a book inside of you also.
Do yourself a favor. Let that little writer out once in a while.
How do you know if there is a writer lurking within you?
How Do You Know If You Could Write a Book?
First of all, do you have hobbies, crafts, skills, or life hacks that you are just dying to share with others? Is there something that you are good at, that you could teach other people? Writing is first and fore most about passion. What are you passionate about? What can you talk about all day? Those are great things to write about. If you have an interest in something it is likely that other people share that interest.
Chris Anderson, the author of “The Long Tail,” points out that there is a market for almost everything. Digital books make it possible for millions of books to exist on Amazon and be there for anyone interested.
You just have to get that story out. What life experiences have you gone through that other people could benefit from? If you have learned something from those experiences, there are others out there who need that information and the knowledge that they aren’t alone, that other people have had those same feelings and found the same problems.
What Makes for a Good Book?
I was approached by a friend that said something to the effect that he didn’t want to put out the effort to write a book if it was just going to be lame.
The truth of the matter is, you have been reading books all of your life. You know what you like in a book and what you don’t like. If you start with the end in mind, starting with the what you want your book to stand for, then work backwards, you have a great chance of putting your story together. What do I mean by working backwards. Well, you know what you want the ending to be like. You are definitely going to hit the nail on the head. Now, what characters will you need to get to that ending? What characteristics will those characters need? What flaws will they need to overcome. The story has to have some friction and some struggle to make it interesting to anyone that might read it. What life experiences will push the characters to that final grand outcome? Now who are the supporting cast? Who will be there for the main character when he or she has to make the hard decisions. Who will be the antagonist? Who wants the same thing as the main character but for evil reasons?
Finally, what setting will put the protagonist in a position to need something that he or she just cannot have? It has to be something related to that incredible ending that you have already come up with. Why can’t he or she have what they want right now? Who or what is standing in the way.
Mapping
Now you can start to map out the main beats of the story. Match characters with events and with motivations. Create a flow chart for what needs to happen before the great ending can actually take place.
Think hard about the setting. Where and when you place the story will have so much to do with what the protagonist can and can’t do.
Now write the back stories to your characters. What are they like? What do they look like? What do you know about them or their behavior that will push them towards that final scene.
You have the makings of a great book. Dont let it set on the shelf for too long. start right away working on your book.
Here is a page of resources that might help you:
https://www.facebook.com/Writersource
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