Everyone has a story, whether it is true to one’s life or is simply something formed from imagination. No matter where the inspiration comes from, writing a book is a great way to get your thoughts and ideas out there. However, it is an incredible feat to accomplish and takes a lot of time and work. It might be hard to figure out where to begin when you have all of these words trapped inside that are itching to get out. Take a deep breath. There are tips and tricks to help when starting the adventure of writing your own book.

The first step to any book is figuring out why you are writing it. This little fact defines and shapes what you will end up writing. Are you doing it for fun or for income? The answers will indefinitely vary but the most important thing to consider is whether your reason for writing it will bring you happiness and is worth the effort. If you are choosing to write a novel because you want to get famous, then you will be focused so much on the outcome that your story may be less authentic or relatable. Write the book because you love to write and the words will flow naturally.

Before ever putting pen to paper it is important to surround yourself with inspiration. Just like how a football player watches the NFL to inspire them to work harder and play like the pros, writers can be much the same way. Stock up on books that you love and that inspire you and even more than that, find those specific novels that are similar to the style, genre, or technique that you want to write yours in. Look at how these authors wrote, how they brought their characters to life and even learn from their weak areas. By reading the works of others it will help to discover what you are interested in writing and will help you form your own ideas, according to thecreativepenn.com.

“When I’m writing a book I only read other books that somehow inform my book,” author Peter Connors said in an interview for blogs.pros.org. “If it doesn’t serve my process — no matter how much I want to read it — I don’t.”

When you are struck with creative inspiration, whether in the shower, in the car or just before you fall asleep, write them down. These do not have to be fully planned out ideas to be worthy of writing down, according to thecreativepenn.com. These small thoughts that you have will develop over time inside your head. The ability to have all of these ideas down on paper to reference will be immensely helpful when you are attempting to tie everything together.

Taking your genre into consideration, a plan is necessary to be successful. If it is sci fi or fantasy, focus on world building and making every aspect, like magic for example, consistent through your entire novel. Planning out each scene or chapter will also help to make the writing less stressful. Now that there is a good story in your head and ideas are starting to be written down, it is about time to start writing. It is a scary step to actually start the writing process. Writing is an art and it takes a lot of effort to form it and mold it to be just right, but do not stress too much. The first draft of even the best writers are sloppy, unconnected and maybe a little boring or confusing. The best thing to do when beginning to write is to just get words down on the page. It does not matter if it is the perfect sentence or if the paragraph is the perfect description. Do your best and you can go back afterwards and start crafting it to be more of what you want. Stressing over whether the first draft is perfect will only slow the writing process and stall the creative juices due to stress and pressure.

“It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all,” author Will Shetterly said in an article for lemcquinn.com.

Whether it is for an hour every night or for two hours every morning, make a schedule that you can stick to. Having a schedule will keep you on top of your goals and will help you stay more productive than if you just wing it. Planning is the best way to get to your final chapter.

“There’s no such thing as too much time spent,” author David Shenk said in an interview for blogs.pros.org.  “As you well know, a great book can last forever. A great book can change a person’s life. A mediocre book is just commerce.”

The most important thing when writing a book is to just be creative and have fun. There are no true guidelines to what you have to write so write what comes from your heart. The process will be hard work but anything worth it is always hard work. Stay motivated and stay positive and soon enough you will have your very own, self written book in your hands.