Has anyone ever written a book ?

[Norah]

hello ,

I am curious about the process of writing a book . Has anyone ever done this before , and if so , how did you do this ? It seems like an overwhelming process to me . How did you get started , did you write it yourself , or did you hire a writer to use your ideas ? Is it an expensive process ? (seems like it would be)

Kristen

 

[MountainWoman]

Norah, I'm working on one. I think everyone comes to writing in a different way but I've always loved to write. I've taken lots of writing courses lately on novel writing and I practice writing all the time. I know people hire ghost writers but I have no idea how much it costs. If you want to write a book, you can start with an outline to organize your ideas or if you'd rather, just sit down and start writing. I think the scariest part about writing is staring at a blank page before you start.

 

[WashingtonCowgirl]

I think the scariest part about writing is staring at a blank page before you start.

This. I've never written a book (maybe in the future I will) but I do write shorts and have written some non-fiction as well. I usually just start typing, even if its totally disorganized and a total mess. In high school I was told by a teacher "There is no limit on drafts" and that really stuck with me. Sometimes I'll only have one or two, but others I will have written TONS of drafts before I am happy with the outcome.

 

[Lizzie]

I think most of us have written or thought of writing, a book. Becoming published however, is a difficult process. Just ask Stephen King. Self-publishing and/or putting one's work on an ebook, isn't considered being published.

Published writers, usually have much good advice. Join a good writing forum. Never 'phone or visit a publisher with your finished manuscript. Make sure your manuscript is word/grammar/punctuation, perfect. Contact agents first and with a query letter or email. Never send a full manuscript, unless an agent requests it. Follow the instructions on the agent's website very carefully. Some agents require only a query and some a synopsis. Many agents receive over 100,000 queries a year. Any mistake in the query, will end up in the slush pile.

The writing is usually the easy part. It's those query and/or synopsis letters, which make me crazy.

Lizzie

 

[ohmt]

My fiance wanted to write a book (he has an amazing imagination) and emailed Jodi Picoult for advice. She emailed him back with this tidbit:

ALWAYS FINISH! She said even if you absolutely despise where your story is going you must, must finish because otherwise it because habit and every time you go to write, you'll hit a roadbump and just give up and start over. Get in the habit if always finishing, no matter what.

Also, email some of your favorite authors for advice, they actually respond!

 

[MountainWoman]

It's a long way from writing a book to getting published. Write for the joy of writing and don't worry about the publishing part. If and when you do get to that point, then you need to learn about query letters, etc. It's not a simple process and you definitely would need guidance. There are many local writing clubs you can turn to for guidance as well as many good books on the subject of actually approaching a publisher. As to self publishing, with the advent of Kindle, etc., there are more and more self published books and some have done very well. I had a friend self publish a children's book. It did very well on Amazon and was then picked up by a publisher. There are many, many avenues to publishing now than there were in the past.

But gee, don't let the publishing part stand in your way. Write because you love to write, because words sing to your soul, because you have something to say.

My most recent professor also gave the same advice as Amanda mentioned. Finish everything you start. It's the discipline of finishing that helps you in the end. Also, keep a notebook and jot down ideas, journal, etc. but most importantly enjoy!

 

[Lizzie]

'Finish everything you start'. Such good advice. I have only finished two books. The first took years to write and finish. The second one took less than a year. However, the going over and over them, to tidy up and edit, took months. In fact, I just re-edited my last book, after adding a new chapter in the middle. It doesn't really matter at all, if something we write never becomes published. The fact is, that those of us who write, do it because we love to.

Lizzie

 

[Lizzie]

Funny thing. Just received this, in an email from Writer's Digest. They were actually advertising their webinar.

.

Despite being one of the most discussed topics in the writing community, the query letter remains a frustrating part of the submission process. How can a writer best boil down their 80,000-word manuscript (or in some cases, their 180,000-word manuscript) down to 300 words? Would it just be better if writers showed up at agency offices with cookies as gifts? (Unfortunately, the answer is no.)

 

It takes writers months or years to compose a manuscript (or book proposal), yet agents will judge your query in 60 seconds-so your letter has to be clear, exciting, and concise.

I wish I could afford to attend some of these webinars.

Lizzie

 

[vickie gee]

I have not written one but I have been collecting some characters for a future one!

If I ever get back to sleeping long enough to remain in bed and write down what I dreamed I will have some good fiction.