Write Your Novel or Memoir. A Series Guide For Beginners

There are a lot of people out there who have wanted to write a book. And there are many who have not done it. There are two main reasons for not doing it. The first is fear. fear of Failure! The other is not knowing how to go about it; not having the tools. This little book will give you those tools. This little book will take away the fear. This little book contains 6 steps or lessons that will show you how to start your book. Once you have these tools, you will be able to start and keep going until you finish your first book. These books are kept small so that you don’t become bogged down in a lot of writing theories.

Many beginners don’t see the need for an outline. So many write Chapter 1 at the top and start. Most don’t get far then, or they do a very ‘beginner’s’ job of what they do write. The great majority of established authors still write an outline for every new book they attempt. The more books they’ve written, the more they understand the importance of outlining first. Outlining creates a tool. It is a very valuable tool that will keep you going. And further breaking it down into chapters is an even better tool. Many new writers start with an idea for a book and end with a short story. An idea alone is not enough. Writing an ouline in the way described in Book 1 of this series, develop your story. It turns your idea into something much more detailed. It gradually grows your idea into a complex series of events that turn your idea, and your short story, into a real book length story. Writing a book is a journey. But you will get lost if you don’t know where you are going.

Procrastination is the enemy of the new writer. This book 4 in this series hopes to not provide another way of avoidance. This is a series of little books covering single topics on writing. Most books are long and involved in a lot of theory. Beginners are daunted by books that say too much! Reading on writing can create even more fear. This little book is about the importance of characters in your story. It is about creating characters and getting to know them well. It is not about any other aspect of writing, and for that reason I hope beginners will take the small amount of time needed to read this book. Your characters will benefit. Characters make your story. Your story, your plot, is moved along by its characters. You must get to know them. If you don’t know them, neither will your readers. This little book hopes to help you to create characters who will be believable and who will come to life in your plot

This is Book 2 in this series, because of the importance of your motivation, your commitment and your planning to the outcome of your attempt to write. Thinking about what you want to do and planning how you will do it is vital to your success.  A plan and an outline of your book as well as a summary of the proposed chapters before you start the first draft will most certainly help you. These are the tools of trade for the beginner.. They will keep you going. But you still need to be committed to your plan. This book will help you to keep your motivation high. It will take away the fear and doubt. I hope that everyone will find sparks of interest within these pages that will encourage motivation to not only begin to write, but to continue. If you are well motivated and have the required self-belief, I am sure you will become well aware of the need for making a personal commitment to your dream, as well as the obvious need to plan your time to work on it.

This is Book 6 in this series. Structure is a very theoretical aspect of writing and it can be very off-putting for a beginner. This book will simplify it, and ease the fear. Whatever we are attempting to write, we owe it to ourselves to at least know what is meant by structure. And we should know that many theories exist. The fact that so much is written on the subject seems to indicate that there is a need for some kind of plan to ensure that your work follows a logical plan. So . . . What is Structure? For me, the simple answer is that structure is about the way you go about telling your story so that the reader will gain the most understanding or satisfaction from it.  That sounds simple, but many theories are not. And new writers may be overwhelmed by the thought of having to go to such lengths before even beginning to write. Don’t be put off. At first at least, all you really need is an awareness that you must write your work, whatever it is, in a logical progression and in a way that will make it a good experience for the reader

This little book number 5 is about chapters and the importance of their place and their structure in your book. If you have outlined as in Book 1 of this series, you will now have Chapter Summaries. They are wonderful; the best tool you will ever have. Chapter Summaries are like a map. They are the map that will take you from the beginning of your journey to the very end. The writer is like a travel guide. It is important that you take your readers on a journey without getting them lost along the way. If you know where you are going, your reader will appreciate and enjoy the journey. As you write, each chapter creates an important link in the story. Each chapter leads your reader on to the next. Each chapter should end with something that makes the reader want to move on to the next. And then the next chapter begins with interest and so the story moves forward. This little book 5 will talk in depth about chapters and chapter skills. I hope it helps the beginning writer to create ongoing interest in their story.

This little book number 7 assumes that you have done all the necessary preparation. Now it is time to write the first draft of your work. First draft? Yes, no matter how good you are it will be the first. It will need editing and changing later. So because it is a draft, you should try to write it as fast as you can. Since it will need editing anyway, don’t edit as you go. Don’t worry too much about it, it doesn’t have to be perfect right away. Getting the story down is what is important at this stage. Write it as quickly and as often as you can. This technique will unlock the creative part of your brain. You should be aware that writing is creative; editing is not. They use different parts of the brain. Trying to do both at once will stifle creativity. Write now! Edit later! Write fast!

This is book number 8 in this series and I hope it helps beginners who are about to face editing. Writing is fun, editing is not. At least that’s how I feel about it. But it has to be done. And for your own sake, I believe it is important for beginners to do their own editing, at least at first. Go through it and get your work as perfect as it can be before you entrust it to anyone else. There are two reasons for this. The first, and most important, is that you will learn from it. We all learn from our mistakes, and as you edit you will notice mistakes that you make and hopefully become more aware and less likely to make those mistakes in your future work. The second is that you need to be sure your work is what you intended it to be before you let anyone else offer an opinion on it. It will ensure that your work remains your own. Also, editing is an expensive business, so the more you do initially the less will be needed by someone you are paying. There are tips aplenty in this little book. I hope it helps you.

This is little book 9 in this series, and it is intended as a broad guide for beginners. There are different forms of publishing. Now, in this digital age, the new writer has options. This book hopes to guide you through those options, ranging from the traditional publisher to self-publishing a paperback and an eBook. There is a lot of information here, and I hope it makes the choices easier. This Little Book aims simply to be a guide to new writers on the subject of publishing. It takes the form of a discussion of the different forms of publishing available in today’s changing market. Each different form will be discussed and their requirements will be given. Many new writers, particularly writers of novels, will seek the recognition of a publisher’s acceptance of the quality or saleability of their work. They will need to know how to approach a publisher who will pay them, and this advice is given here. Others will for whatever reason, be prepared to pay to self-publish their work. While yet others, will seek to use free publishing services. Appropriate advice is given to all of these authors. It doesn’t aim to be an exhaustive list of publishers, though some publishers and their requirements will be mentioned.