I'm writing a book

One non-fiction, two sci-fi, and four romance books. What do you want to know?

Yes, six of them. Ask me anything.

Here's some questions.

(1) What was your prep process? I feel like I should be doing an outline and mapping things out before I start with actually writing the dialogue.

(2) Did you do research at all? This will be likely a YA book set in the 80s sorta based on my HS experiences but I don't know how common it is to do research for that sort of thing.

(3) Do you self publish?

I start with a general outline and some notes as well as a cast of characters. The latter is the most important. Be aware they will change names and even identities as you go along and that the finished novel may only resemble about 25% of your original idea.

I would certainly research a specific place or group of people. Slang is a huge tripping point. My suggestion is to read a handful of novels actually written in the time period and, if possible, with the same setting.

I would never self publish. You have to do all the work regarding marketing, are lucky to get 20 people to buy, wreck your chances with legit publishers and are basically put on the same shelf as some of the biggest, most egotistical morons to ever smash their slope-brow against a keyboard.

Call me, I wrote two bestsellers

Is your opening sentence: The sky was so blue on that day. ?

1) Read as much as you can in the genre. Just read. You have to know what works and what doesn't work. The best advice is to just read as part of your research. 2) Plot. There are many ways to do it, but plot what you can. Generic streams of conscious don't really work when it comes to writing books. There are books out there on plotting, but 'Take Off Your Pants" is probably one of the best. Bonus, the website StoryPlanner.com has a great 'Take Off Your Pants' outliner that I've used that's made the process easy. Link down below. 3) Keep notes. Figure out what works for you, be it a spreadsheet with cells with different notes for different characters/chapters/etc. and just keep using notes. Especially keep notes about characters - their height, weight, eye color, hair color, hair style, build, etc.. There's nothing worse than trying to write "X looked deeply into Y's eyes," and you don't know what color character Y's eyes are. You need to know this or you'll end up in a rabbit hole that'll take you out of writing. 4) Write. Just write, don't edit. The first draft is supposed to be crap. The first draft is to get the words on the page. The second draft is where you clean things up. 5) Once you're satisfied with it, put it away for at least 2 weeks. Then take it out and read it like you're reading a regular book. It's useful to do this either on paper to take notes or in Word where you can just either make a note or make the change. 6) Get a professional editor. My first editor was complete crap, overcharged me, took forever, and did a crap job - she only edited and didn't check for inconsistencies, etc. My second editor was PERFECT. She picked up on continuity errors and other items the first one missed. (I used a second editor because I took out an entire subplot and cut 20,000 words out of my 85,000 word manuscript from the first edit). 7) There are writing coaches out there that will help you. You can go to sites like Fiverr where you can get an introductory discussion for like $10 and then continue to talk so they can help you get through all the steps you need for your book including cover (VERY important) and blurb writing. I've used one that's lit a fire under my ass and made me not only a better writer, but better blurb writer, etc.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. Good luck!

Ugh - I didn't double-space between paragraphs. Sorry! Here, more readable:

1) Read as much as you can in the genre. Just read. You have to know what works and what doesn't work. The best advice is to just read as part of your research.

2) Plot. There are many ways to do it, but plot what you can. Generic streams of conscious don't really work when it comes to writing books. There are books out there on plotting, but 'Take Off Your Pants" is probably one of the best. Bonus, the website StoryPlanner.com has a great 'Take Off Your Pants' outliner that I've used that's made the process easy. Link down below.

3) Keep notes. Figure out what works for you, be it a spreadsheet with cells with different notes for different characters/chapters/etc. and just keep using notes. Especially keep notes about characters - their height, weight, eye color, hair color, hair style, build, etc.. There's nothing worse than trying to write "X looked deeply into Y's eyes," and you don't know what color character Y's eyes are. You need to know this or you'll end up in a rabbit hole that'll take you out of writing.

4) Write. Just write, don't edit. The first draft is supposed to be crap. The first draft is to get the words on the page. The second draft is where you clean things up.

5) Once you're satisfied with it, put it away for at least 2 weeks. Then take it out and read it like you're reading a regular book. It's useful to do this either on paper to take notes or in Word where you can just either make a note or make the change.

6) Get a professional editor. My first editor was complete crap, overcharged me, took forever, and did a crap job - she only edited and didn't check for inconsistencies, etc. My second editor was PERFECT. She picked up on continuity errors and other items the first one missed. (I used a second editor because I took out an entire subplot and cut 20,000 words out of my 85,000 word manuscript from the first edit).

7) There are writing coaches out there that will help you. You can go to sites like Fiverr where you can get an introductory discussion for like $10 and then continue to talk so they can help you get through all the steps you need for your book including cover (VERY important) and blurb writing. I've used one that's lit a fire under my ass and made me not only a better writer, but better blurb writer, etc.

This thread is just what I needed as I just began writing - my first novel

Thanks r7/r8!!

Does anyone have any tips for self-publishing?

I was afraid that my story may be too "one track" singular themed. Everythjg tying back to main characters. However reading R7's recommended link, the plot points in step 7, states this is exactly what is required ..?

R11, no one way works for all people. I would guess that R7 is talking more about commercially geared fiction, which is fine (you need to sell books, after all).

HI BLANCHE!

Can I name my fictional bar & grill in a novel after a real bar & grill if I don't specify what city the novel takes place in?

No..

Thanks to everyone for your comments!

R14 Honestly, why not? If it's a common name, like a hair salon called "Curl Up and Dye" then yes. Now of course if it's a unique name and quite well known, you might get some questions, but if that blanket "All people and places in this are a work of fiction" then that might cover you.

Forget about asking others about their processes and write. Writers are not writers by fact of the perfect home office, or laptop, or notebooks and favorite type of pen, or daily routine no more than they are made by drinking a particular blend of coffee or tea from a special mug.

People who write just write and the rest falls into place. Wannabe writers go shopping for accoutrements and fret about writer's block when in fact they never were writers.

R18, this is the attitude that leads to 600,000 word monstrosities cranked out on toilet paper by people who then wonder why every agent they approach responds with a casting of holy water.

[quote] Did you do research at all? This will be likely a YA book set in the 80s sorta based on my HS experiences but I don't know how common it is to do research for that sort of thing.

Yes, of course you need to research.

R20 I mean, I lived it, but I figured I'll have to reread some magazines etc from the era to get the right vibe.

r19 is a groomer for AI.

r18 is correct. Write as the spirit moves you, then go back and tweak tweak tweak.

Writing freely is liberating however writing with a plan in mind, makes it even better, a structured format to your writing helps

[quote] Writing freely is liberating however writing with a plan in mind, makes it even better, a structured format to your writing helps

Writing freely is liberating[;] however[,] writing with a plan in mind[] makes it even better[.] [A] structured format to your writing helps[.]

R22 is this person.

Geez thanks r24, I forgot I was editing a novel and not posting on DL

It was a dark and stormy night…

Oh and OP, I left off the very important "Hire a book cover artist!" Unless you're very good with image manipulation and such, hire someone. It'll prevent you from having a covert like at R25 .

*cover, not covert

R28, that only works if you are self-publishing.

There is no point in coming up with a cover except as an exercise for how you visualize the book.

First, you have to have ideas.

So try something else, dear.

.....

Am I the only one who writes ✍️ rather than type at a computer?

When I write I visualize the scenes of what I'm writing. Is this a good thing?

R33 - Not the only one. I plan on paper and then type on the computer. Writing by hand uses a different part of your brain then typing. It's good to do both.

R34 - That's a good thing. Just don't get frustrated that it doesn't come out how it is in your head, because it never will be exactly the same. And don't get so fixated about one detail that you skimp on the other environmental details.

I’ve been writing since I was a kid and I’m 40-something now. Have written tons of short stories (mostly horror and erotic), and a couple of novel manuscripts, one of which I started converting to a screenplay but haven’t finished. I can remember going to the library when I was in my 20s and doing hours of research for finding a publisher, and even spoke to a woman who had a children’s book published, but I somehow lost the drive to go further (it’s daunting), and now I mostly write for pleasure. When I’m on a roll, it’s so satisfying to see the words just spill out. Then I stop for a while - a week, a month or two - and then pick back up when the mood hits. I have a love-hate relationship with self-editing, but I mostly love it when it makes the story flow better, and I’ve learned that “killing your darlings” (i.e., eliminating plot lines, characters and sentences that don’t help the story along) is often necessary when writing fiction. I’ve published some of my erotica online and gotten a lot of good feedback from it, which gives me the desire to keep writing. I’m now working on a vampire novel. I always have the scene in my head when I write (the look of the place, the smell, the weather, etc.). So go for it, OP, and have fun!

I strongly recommend Scrivener, which is a word processing program created for writers.

You can move chunks of prose around by dragging them with your mouse, set up character profiles and details in a "binder" attached to your main composing window, take all the notes you want (with photos) and put them in the binder as well. Basically all the notekeeping and research lives with your manuscript so it's easy to reference. When you're ready to print it or make a PDF it properly formats the manuscript and puts in headers, page numbers, etc.

There's a bit of a learning curve (going from Word to Scrivener is something like going from Windows to Mac) but tons of help online, including how-to videos. Really can't say enough about Scrivener for writers and aspiring writers.

I highly recommend “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White.

If you do wind up self-publishing, get the buzz going on BookTok a subcommunity on TikTok. Numerous authors were signed up by publishers after their books started getting hyped on social media.

R33 A top selling author does same

[quote]some of the biggest, most egotistical morons

This describes the majority of legit publishers too, R4.

R40 who?

Neil Gaiman and George R..R. Martin, I believe R42.

R37 I'm not OP (I'm R1, R7, and R8) but I've just made the switch to Scrivener for my next book. As someone who likes to do research & make notes on characteristics, what happens in the chapter/scene I'm writing, etc., I've really come to like Scrivener for this reason. Instead of switching back & forth between a notes document, my "beats" spreadsheet, and other stuff, it's all there as I'm typing.

Worst book I ever read was self published and did not follow a single point below. But they had the hustle and are there pushing it in various niches and doing fairly well (at least getting the initial numbers).

1. READ. (I cannot emphasize this enough.)

2. If you do decide to self-publish (and have the hustle) make certain that whomever you go with allows you to keep the copyright (Amazon does). If at some poin a publisher decides to like you this will be one of their first questions.

3. If you cannot afford an editor, find someone (who also reads) to work with you.

4. Invest in Grammarly or a program to check your spelling and writing.

5. Learn the basics of dialogue, paragraphing, and punctuation. They no longer teach these well in school, so you'll have to learn them on your own.

r33 All my dozen books were first written out by hand, longhand, with preliminary index cards being written by me in block letters.

OP = Lucy Ricardo

I've been longing to wrote for a long time . Now that I've began the writing process,I find myself ignoring my work to write. If it isn't clear as day what I should be doing with my life, I don't know what is

Posters? Don't do it.

Resist.

Be kind.

Sorry r49?

r33 You might find this cheering.

It pains me to break up my leads but it's necessary..

How do you make 2 people destined to be with each other, break up, then reunite? It's difficult to write

I find listening to 80s love ballads helps..

R53 How about one has to leave to take care of family in another state? Or forced to travel to somewhere else for a job? Or maybe they are kidnapped and disappear for an extended period of time. You could make the whole story about how one person is heartbroken but is trying to move on, and the second person fights their way back to them. Oh, and I've also read one person getting swept away (in what I read someone disappeared in a flash flood) and wakes up with no memory. It took them months to get their memory back while the other person mourned their apparent death.

So, so many ways to do this!

R53 has never seen a soap opera!

Bump

Just need to sit down and write the damn thing

Paging Barbara Thorndyke!

I had no idea you were LITERATE, OP!

John Gardner's books on writing are invaluable; On Becoming a Novelist is excellent. The Art of Fiction shoukd be required reading for all writers.

R 61 again. Janet Burroway's Writing Fiction is also indispensable, OP. My copy is so worn and dog-eared, it's almost falling apart.

I'm reading a lot of different writing guide type books, and a lot of the tips are things I'm already doing so this is very encouraging for my writing

I just finished the rough draft for my first novel. It's a May/ December romance. Despite several hurdles the two star crossed lovers make it. The reader will meet many interesting characters along the way . There is death, birth and a wedding.

I have started a second novel. It is a political suspense thriller set in rural America. The story will take the reader on an international ride from Argentina all the way to the Congo

My third novel is due out next week. I've been very lucky to be as successful as I am. I have already won a Pulitzer for my first novel, which was called The Great Gatsby and starred Norma Desmond and Paul Mescal. It won several Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for me, in a cameo. Ask me anything.

You can’t have my title.

You might want an editor to check that title for you.