how to actually write books

[finley_theal1en]

I want to say that I'm pretty good with making complex stories and character with good dynamics, and I do want to turn what I make into books, but I don't actually know how to do it. I know what my weaknesses are but have no idea how to deal with them. Does anyone have any advice or resources for an aspiring author starting from ground 0?

 

[pmmg]

Do you mean by this, how do I write a story of novel length, or how do I handle all the back office stuff of turning some thing from a word document into a published book?

I assume to former.

I would start with story structure. Look for the three act story structure and start trying to format your pieces there. To be a story, it ought to have a hook, some character growth, and some resolution. Characters need to be moving toward something, and learn something along the way, and finally arrive at some resolution to the conflict.

 

[Karlin]

Have you written short stories? They are different than actual novels, but will give you experience, and self confidence, and have the same basic structure .

 

[Rexenm]

The harder a book is to write, the more people will want to read it, I think.

 

[Devor]

So, I hate hearing this as an answer to a question, but I think in your case the answer is to start writing. Write a short story, or a scene, or google some writing prompts, and get some words on a page. Then think about a scene from a book or movie you like and try to write it out over a few pages in your own words. You start by dispelling some of the mystery and magic of it and get yourself in a place where you can seriously envision yourself doing the job yourself.

 

[xena]

Starting from zero can feel overwhelming, but you’ve got this.

Read. Nothing will help you better then that. Outside of that spend time just writing. Doesn't have to be pretty. Just write. As you do you will develop your own voice. Can be a short tale about dragons or a diary about your day. Outside of that you can plot your books out. Mabye just general arcs. Then break those arcs down into smaller scenes.

 

[Mad Swede]

Write. Just write. Until you get words down on the page you won't know how you write, or what your writing is like. Don't worry about things like structure at this stage, just write.

 

[DesinKalaScribe]

Jumping in to add to the chorus saying just start writing. Don't worry about the specific output, especially this early in a project. It's best to get as much of the ideas rattling around in your head out. Start putting words on the page, whether its narrative, outline, background, etc. Just start the project. Once you get into the flow, it'll come a lot easier.

"Just write the damn thing," is also good advice when you're stuck midstream. I had a block on a character for a few weeks because I just didn't want to write him. I was worried what I would eventually write wouldn't be "final product" good. Once I got over that block, and sat down to just write it, all of a sudden it came pouring out. It's not all great, but its a starting point.

 

[pmmg]

Maybe I was out on a different tangent with this one. I took good at making complex stories, and character, but not able to convert them into novels as having written something before, but lacking some quality that made them feel like a complete, contained between to covers, story.


If you have the ideas but have not written, then....yeah. Write it ugly. Pop it out as best you can. Maybe the first wont be a winner, but you'll learn a lot about how to make one as you go. Write it ugly is the mantra.

 

[Gurkhal]

As mentioned the key is to write and keep writing. And starting with short stories to get a hang of things and build confidence is a very good idea.

As someone much smarter than me once said: To write and epic series to climb the Himalayas but you might want to start with something smaller first to get the hang of rock climbing.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I want to say that I'm pretty good with making complex stories and character with good dynamics, and I do want to turn what I make into books, but I don't actually know how to do it.

There is a big contradiction in this statement to me. Making complex stories and characters means that you're already writing books with those in it. If you haven't written stories with them, then they're just ideas, which is very different from actually having those characters appear complex on the page.

Like others have said, nothing beats just sitting down and writing. Nothing will teach you more about writing than actually writing your first novel. There are a few more pointers though.

As for resources, the best (and cheapest) resource on writing SciFi/Fantasy out there for a beginning author are Brandon Sanderson's university lectures on writing. They're available for free on Youtube, search for them and they'll come up. He's putting out a new series this year, and they're well worth watching. They aren't the most in depth, but they give a decent basis and some ideas of how to dig for more.

As for writing, I would personally start with trying to write a novella. Novels and short stories are very different beasts (though they do share similarities of course). Novels and novella's are fairly similar, except that one is longer than the other. But 25.000 - 50.000 words is a lot more manageable than 100.000 words when you're just starting out. Think of what you want to write, plan it out if that's your thing, and then just pick a set time each day and write for an hour (or 30 minutes or 1 sentence minimum, whatever is your thing).

 

[finley_theal1en]

Do you mean by this, how do I write a story of novel length, or how do I handle all the back office stuff of turning some thing from a word document into a published book?

I assume to former.

I would start with story structure. Look for the three act story structure and start trying to format your pieces there. To be a story, it ought to have a hook, some character growth, and some resolution. Characters need to be moving toward something, and learn something along the way, and finally arrive at some resolution to the conflict.

yes I meant the former. and things like outlining, formatting, etc

I have the big points figured out, but I struggle with some of the in-betweens; the scenes leading up to those points. One thing I tend to do is focus on the end of the story, or the things that happen post-plot, rather than the the beginning and middle of it, and I don't know how to fix that

 

[finley_theal1en]

There is a big contradiction in this statement to me. Making complex stories and characters means that you're already writing books with those in it. If you haven't written stories with them, then they're just ideas, which is very different from actually having those characters appear complex on the page.

Like others have said, nothing beats just sitting down and writing. Nothing will teach you more about writing than actually writing your first novel. There are a few more pointers though.

As for resources, the best (and cheapest) resource on writing SciFi/Fantasy out there for a beginning author are Brandon Sanderson's university lectures on writing. They're available for free on Youtube, search for them and they'll come up. He's putting out a new series this year, and they're well worth watching. They aren't the most in depth, but they give a decent basis and some ideas of how to dig for more.

As for writing, I would personally start with trying to write a novella. Novels and short stories are very different beasts (though they do share similarities of course). Novels and novella's are fairly similar, except that one is longer than the other. But 25.000 - 50.000 words is a lot more manageable than 100.000 words when you're just starting out. Think of what you want to write, plan it out if that's your thing, and then just pick a set time each day and write for an hour (or 30 minutes or 1 sentence minimum, whatever is your thing).

what I meant with that first part is that I've made characters with plot (and have been doing so for years), I can explain in detail their personalities, backstories, how different things effect them.. but I'm not experienced with writing what actually happens in the style of a book. hope that clears it up

and I've been meaning to watch Brandon's videos!! thank you for the other advice as well, it makes it all a bit less overwhelming

 

[finley_theal1en]

Have you written short stories? They are different than actual novels, but will give you experience, and self confidence, and have the same basic structure .

I do plan to write short stories eventually, it's just an issue of world building. I'll definitely try writing short stories outside of what I have planned as practice though, thank you!

 

[Rexenm]

Brainstorming works. Get a blank page, draw some clouds. Maybe draw a land mass, put in some trees - maybe a compass rose. Connect some dots, make fine lines.

 

[finley_theal1en]

Starting from zero can feel overwhelming, but you’ve got this.

Read. Nothing will help you better then that. Outside of that spend time just writing. Doesn't have to be pretty. Just write. As you do you will develop your own voice. Can be a short tale about dragons or a diary about your day. Outside of that you can plot your books out. Mabye just general arcs. Then break those arcs down into smaller scenes.

thank you!! and yes I really do need to read more, but getting books of my taste is a bit tricky (and expensive) here

also I really struggle with outlining/plotting, especially breaking arcs down into smaller scenes. that's exactly what I'm stuck with right now actually. other than figuring out how to make some things realistic, mundane scenes that aren't mainly dialogue are hard for me to write

 

[Stace]

A matter of coincidental timing, but a video came up on YouTube about this very topic just as I read your post. You might look into the Snowflake Method, which is a process for building a story step by step. It's a little like outlining, but incorporating plot structure and other narrative fundamentals more intrinsically than a standard outlining process does. It will help you figure out what connecting pieces you need to hold all your big blog points together.

 

[skip.knox]

In what way are you stuck with breaking arcs down into smaller scenes? Is it the breaking down part that is the sticking point, or the writing? It sounds like you *can* write scenes, at least if they are mainly dialog.

It always helps me to try to be as specific as possible when I'm wrestling with the Writing Demons.

 

[finley_theal1en]

In what way are you stuck with breaking arcs down into smaller scenes? Is it the breaking down part that is the sticking point, or the writing? It sounds like you *can* write scenes, at least if they are mainly dialog.

It always helps me to try to be as specific as possible when I'm wrestling with the Writing Demons.

Like I have a general idea of how the arcs or big scenes move from point A to point B, but actually writing down the details of what happens becomes challenging. This definitely stems from my world build still not being finalized, but I'm doing this to develop my world build.

it's also an issue of a ratio between mundaneness and action filled scenes? The first chunk of the book focuses on the cast's journey across the land, their dynamic, and their personal character development, this is of course accompanied by action and issues they'd need to solve... almost how ATLA is paced, if that makes sense. I'm confident I'll be able to pull this off, but I'm stuck with how much of the mundane should be presented before it becomes boring to the readers, and what actual scenes/interactions of that nature would matter.

for a bit more context, this first book is supposed to be an introduction for a more vast world with connected stories, so I want to lay down some basic world lore to pull readers in and slowly immerse them. I just want it to be interesting enough with a good blend of action, mundaneness, and mystery to keep people interested in future projects. I hope that made sense lol I rambled too much

 

[Kalipso]

I want to say that I'm pretty good with making complex stories and character with good dynamics, and I do want to turn what I make into books, but I don't actually know how to do it. I know what my weaknesses are but have no idea how to deal with them. Does anyone have any advice or resources for an aspiring author starting from ground 0?

I would say make a plot map of what you want to happen, including some of the basics of your world. It doesn't have to describe every single detail you want to bring up during every single moment. It just needs to have the basics. After that, the hardest part is actually starting to write.

To me, it sounds like you're worried about writing yourself into a plot hole or not giving enough explanation to your readers for your first book. You don't have to know everything right at this second. There are a lot of things you might not realize need explanation until you actually start writing the draft. Your first draft will be messy, but that's okay! A lot of people get stuck on the planning stage that they burn themselves out before they actually start to write.

And most importantly, make sure you're having fun/remain engaged. One of the best tips I learned: if you're bored writing it, your audience will be bored reading it.