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I want to write a book!!!

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi guys not sure what sort response im after. Cut a long story short im 32 mother off 2 girls. I have been through a fair bit in my life, and after quite alot of councilling to do with an eating disorder and an abortion, and marriage problems, have found how helpful it is to talk, feelings etc.
I have been told by a couple off people who have read personal letters i have writen, how amazing my writing is, i write with lot off emotion and fluency.
I thought nothing off it untill i was told i should write a book :)
This does appeal to me but i just dont know where to start, any ideas ?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There are several things you have to remember when writing a book,

    Firstly you should have either in your mind or on paper what the plot and overall message of it will be because any book should have a clear message unless its a humor one :thumb:

    Secondly you need to take the perspective of someone else watching and remember that although its clear to you in your mind, making things clear in the minds of others is the tricky part.

    Thirdly and I think most importantly is take your time and try not to rush things onwards, if there is a scene that you feel in the right mind to write then put it into words and let the story fit into that point, although a book should be read in sequence, you dont have to write it in sequence.

    Fourthly remember you can always go back and elaborate on a chapter and even delete the whole thing and rewrite it and nobody will ever know!

    If you use MSword ignore the green zigzags under words because 99.9% of the time they are wrong.

    One thing that is quite difficult is keeping the correct tenses while writing:
    "She hung her dressing gown on the silver hook and walks out of the bathroom" is a good example of inconsistant tenses and its good to have a friend who can proof read things like that for you

    As a personal preference i try not to use too many big words where a smaller one will do - "she observed her metatarsels beneath their encasing translucent eppidermis" - "she saw her toes under her clear skin". Using big words looks fancy but it can really slow a novel down - but that is a personal preference again and sometimes using longer words is needed if you are using dialogue from a scientist for example :)

    Creative writing to me is something I really enjoy doing and sometimes it can be quite intense but when someone reads it and says 'wow, you wrote that?' its really very gratifying :thumb:


    Thats just a few of the things ive learned in the few short stories ive written ^^
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm writing a fiction book, but anyone who knows me (if they read it) can tell the events are based around my life. I think that is a good way to do things, instead of declaring to the world what's happened to you, become someone else...
    Sorry if that's got nothing to do with what you said, I only skim read the posts above.
    Xx
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm writing a fiction book, but anyone who knows me (if they read it) can tell the events are based around my life. I think that is a good way to do things, instead of declaring to the world what's happened to you, become someone else...
    Sorry if that's got nothing to do with what you said, I only skim read the posts above.
    Xx

    Thanks for your replys, im still thinking through things in my head, think i will start jotting bits down. I dont know if this is right or not but i was told you should always have a start middle and an ending.
    Does not matter if the book starts at the end as long as you know where you want to go with it xx
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You know just write! I do. Give me a pen, and a notepad and I can write for hours. Some people write the end first, but I find if you do this then you aren't free to let your mind wander with the story. I find it gets too organized.
    Xx
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well a start, middle and an end is needed. But what order you out them in doesn't really matter as long as it flows and things are explained. The rules for english are more gidelines tbh.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    hayley77 wrote: »
    Thanks for your replys, im still thinking through things in my head, think i will start jotting bits down. I dont know if this is right or not but i was told you should always have a start middle and an ending.
    Does not matter if the book starts at the end as long as you know where you want to go with it xx

    A start middle and ending is important to keep it organised in some way, knowing more or less where it will go is important because it means that it neither stifles creativity nor lets you get too off the rails.

    I find it best to have the ending in my head before i start because then i dont end up going all over the place, i used to think of a good idea and start from there, and 8000 words later wonder where it was going - i remember getting really far into a story and writing dialog and a character said 'so how do we get out of this?' and i thought 'oh bollocks!' and scrapped the whole story! :yeees:

    Writing a story is always a very personal thing, all the styles are your own and unless you copy or use clichés it will always be unique, different methods work for different people - personally if i write something about myself i will put it in a whole different context like a fantasy setting because i prefer not to be constrained by reality too much.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you are writing a story for yourself, such things as structure and plot are not so important, but if you are planning to write for publication, anything without a solid plot and sound structure will be in the publisher's bin before you can say 'J K Rowling'. A good novel is as much a science as it is an art.

    If you can find a creative writing group or class in your area, this will help. A class will obviously be better, as you will be able to learn how to lay the foundations of a story, and make it work, but honest, critical feedback from other writers in a group would be useful, too. Your friends and family are no use, they'll tell your everything you churn out is ace, which gets you precisely nowhere.

    The other important thing to do is read. Read anything and everything you can get your hands on. The more you read, the better a writer you will become.

    Also be very careful with spelling and grammar - that's another thing that'll have your script in the bin within minutes. It's possible to write if you are good at neither, but you will have to pay someone who is to edit and/or proofread your work before you send it anywhere.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thanks for your replys guys, im looking into it, seems like something i thought i could never do, but never say never ah :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Olive wrote: »
    The other important thing to do is read. Read anything and everything you can get your hands on. The more you read, the better a writer you will become.

    This this this. This is the one thing being drummed into me by my creative writing tutor just now. Read, read some more, and when you think you can't possibly pick up another book, read again. It's excellent for learning what is good writing and what is good reading. There's a big big difference. Stephenie Meyer (and I don't want to bring up Twilight because really it's awful, but it is speedy and it has a clear plot and a clear motive and it is easy to read) is a good example of good reading for the reasons I listed above, even if it is utter trash. Something like Moby Dick is a good example of good writing because it is very exact and precise and every little bit was pruned to exactly how Melville wanted it. It's horrible to read unless you're really in an intellectual frame of mind though. Obviously there's books that mix both (read some Dickens, I found him very easy to read and very very good).

    The other thing is to not be cliche and samey. I'm sure there are hundreds of vampire books being tossed into the rubbish bin every day now. Be different but don't be "weird", unless you're trying to target a very specific audience.

    Last thing issssssssssss, find your 'thing'. Mine is (according to my tutor) writing in the second person (i.e. 'you did x, y, z').

    There's some really good books on writing as well. 'Bird on Bird' is a particular favourite of my old tutor, Stephen King's 'On Writing' is apparently excellent even if you don't like his novels. Hunt around and you will be rewarded.
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