I’m super excited about today’s post, because it’s written by Savannah over at The Book Prophet!  I absolutely adore her blog, because it’s so full of great reviews and posts and literally everything.  Plus, she’s great to talk to!  So if you’re looking for an awesome new blog to follow, head over and check her out.  Starting to write a book is SO FREAKIN HARD and so Savannah’s post will surely come in handy for lots of us bloggers who want to take the next step to becoming a writer.  Make sure you let her know how much you appreciate the help by commenting!

How to Start Writing a Book

Hello everyone! My name is Savannah and I blog over at The Book Prophet. Joce gave me this great opportunity to write a post on her blog and I decided that I would talk to y’all about the fundamentals of writing a book.

Besides being an avid reader myself, I am also a writer, as many of you probably are as well. Reading and writing kind of go hand-in-hand. If you like reading books, there’s a big chance you love writing them as well! Only, reading a book and writing a book are two very different things.

When you read a book, you’re being carried away to another land, while when you write a book you’re the one to carry people away.

Sounds more difficult, right?

Well, it is.

I’m here to give you that extra push to start writing the book you’ve been imagining in your head since the beginning of time. You might not know where to start, you might be too afraid, or you just might think you can’t do it.

I mean, those are all valid excuses, but they’re stupid excuses too.

I’m here to remedy those doubts because I used to have those doubts.

TBH I still do.

Side note: There’s no particular order to do these steps in.

Choose your project

All projects start with an idea. Once you have an idea, then you can expand that idea and start thinking about what characters would fit into that idea, create a structure for your story, a world, etc.

You might also be wondering how you know if the idea you have is THE idea. Well, little grasshopper, when you find the right project to start you get a tingly feeling in your stomach and you can’t stop thinking about your characters and story!

With the book I’m currently writing, I am always thinking about how my characters would feel in a certain situation, plot points to add or delete, etc. These characters and the story I want to tell is flowing through my veins and when you’re passionate about something, you will write it.

Create your characters

Creating characters that are unique and three dimensional is so hard! Besides world building, creating characters has to be one of the most difficult parts of writing. What helped me create my characters is by filling out a character form (http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986).

Filling out all the entire form forced me to learn about my characters from every angle and point of view possible. You never know when you’ll need to tap into your character’s past or delve into their passions and emotions!

These forms not only help you learn about your character, but it also helps remind you of who your character is. I think we all sometimes forget vital aspects to our characters. I for some reason can’t ever remember their birthdays.

Create your setting

Whether your book takes place in a fictional world or a real-life location, you have to have a mental picture of what that world looks like. When you already know what it looks like – and even smells like – then when you get around to describing it in your book, you’ll be both consistent and less stressed.

Having a world where your characters live and thrive and die in is something that’s way more important than you’d think. Depending on where your character lives can change aspects of your character.

For example, if your character lives on a pirate ship they’ll probably know how to fight and will automatically know how to swim! And life on a pirate ship would make anybody kick butt with a sword.

Outline your plot

Outlining isn’t necessary, but it helps a lot once you actually start writing your book. If you don’t have an outline it can feel like you’re walking through a desert with no map or any direction to – anywhere, really. I’ve only outlined one of my books and it’s the book I’ve had the least trouble writing AND the most fun writing! Although outlining isn’t necessary – I’ve heard loads of successful, published authors don’t outline – it does help you from getting writer’s block and from feeling lost in your own book.

I hope this post helped you figure out how to start writing your book! Now go and let the words flow because there’s no better time than today.

Or tomorrow, if you’re a procrastinator like me.

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Did you adore Savannah’s post? Wasn’t it GREAT advice for starting your book? What’s your current WIP? Are you a procrastinator too? Do you love Savannah as much as I do? 

Check Savannah out: Website | Twitter