IF I CAN, SO CAN YOU

Have you ever wanted to write a book, maybe you have kept regular diaries or even started scribbling notes? Then somehow things got put away and the normal problems of everyday life took over. The idea that you had to find sixty or even a hundred thousand words, get it proofread ,accepted by a publisher or pay a fortune to do it yourself, all became too much to contemplate. Well, times have changed, not only do we have word processors that can correct our spelling and punctuation ,but we can , upload and promote our own writing and sell it as downloadable digital books. Not only that but we can also format them for sale on Amazon as solid paper books.

IF YOU LOVE WRITING, EVEN IF IT IS JUST A DAILY DIARY AND HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO PRODUCE AT LEAST ONE BOOK OF YOUR OWN, THEN READ ON

If you start and keep going,eventually you will arrive at the same spot that I am now, with a website promoting yourself, as many books as you care to write .

I KNEW VIRTUALLY NOTHING FIVE YEARS AGO, MY SPELLING WAS POOR,I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO EVEN START, NOW I EARN A LIVING SITTING AT MY COMPUTER WRITING JUST WHAT I WANT TO WRITE,LET ME REPEAT THAT LAST BIT JUST WHAT I WANT TO WRITE.

Like a lot of people I always thought that there was a book in me somewhere. I had faithfully filled in my diary each evening and could look at the row of cheap folders in the bookcase. Looking back through them was interesting although what I had for breakfast obviously denoted a rather slack day .It was one particularly boring evening of television when I glanced across at the bookshelf and realized that the volume of words I had scribbled down would easily have produced three sizable novels, had they been about any subject other than me. Even then, if I had led a life full of adventure, it would have been OK. As it was I was into my fifteenth year as a school teacher, who would want to read about that? Two weeks later I found my old copy of LUCKY JIM by Kingsley Amis and started rereading it again. Suddenly I had my second epiphany; here I was reading an amusing fiction story about the education system. I could write one about my exploits or even better still, just use my insider knowledge, create a character that was far more interesting than me and just let my imagination wander.

So if you feel that there is a book in you, then take note of my simple guidelines.

1. Stop doing a Diary about what you ate or watched on television.

2. Grab a pen and fresh notebook or practice your one fingered typing skills, put down everything that could eventually be expanded into an incident. It does not matter if the original event was not that amusing or interesting, artistic license will allow you to improvise, after all it is fiction.

3. Put down any and everything that comes into your head, don’t worry about how bad an idea it is or your spelling, just go with the flow and brainstorm. Someone recently said, “Write like a maniac” and that is exactly how you should approach it. Don’t let negative thoughts get in the way, use short bursts of writing (10 minutes a time) and put down anything that comes from your musings. Don’t worry about how it sounds when you read it back, just go with the flow.Remember, first the ideas, pruning and construction can come later. Write every day, make it a habit, you can set aside time, but if something prevents you then you have lost valuable writing time. I have a pad and pen in my back pocket, I will write whilst the kettle is boiling or even sitting on the loo (sorry about the imagery) But there are plenty of five minute moments when you could easily add a short paragraph or two. Little and often can work better than long stretches at the keyboard.If you see a pattern emerging in your writing then maybe that is the direction your first book should go in. However it does not matter if you end up with pages of non-linkable ideas, they are all potential starting points. Ask yourself questions , then answer the question.

4. It does not matter how long this takes, (never feel guilty or under pressure) When you think you have the basic idea, try and see if you can find ways to split it into twelve sections. If it is a fiction story, have a beginning and an end that takes care of two. Now try to imagine a set of circumstances that can link the two together.

5. Once you have started, ideas will pop into your head at all the wrong moments, so have a pen and notepad handy, by your bed, in the car and a tiny one in your pocket.

6. Don’t get distracted, little and often is better than full steam ahead then stop for ages.

7. ENJOY, what is the point of doing something that is a grind. I like amusing fiction stories, but if your thing is describing toy trains over the last thirty years, then just go for it. The only rule is rule number 7, if it is not fun, then don’t do it.

I am now on my fifth e-book and have not run out of ideas for my main character yet. Believe me, once you get into it, there will not be enough hours in the day.

Don’t start it by dreaming about being published and making a fortune so that you can give up your day Job. If that happens, let me know your secrets, in fact write a book about it and make even more money. Start because you really would do it even if you never sold a single copy.

Don’t let anyone read your notes, don’t ask anyone’s opinion, in fact if you can keep your mouth shut ,tell nobody anything. Why? Because they will dilute your enthusiasm, make suggestions that confuse your initial ideas and generally put a damper on everything. If you really can’t keep it in,look on the Internet for writing forums that understand and support new writers. In other words have an Internet Affair with those that can help you.Read authors who impress you with their style of writing. Look in magazines and newspapers for ideas, sometimes even a heading can spark you off.

Take a look at what people are writing in places like Google Answer’s or specific topic forums.

Invent an amusing character then daydream about them and the antic’s they get up to. Then consider how they would inter- act with those around them. Before you know it you will have a cast of Individuals who can all have a part in your fiction story.