Write A Book Series. A Beginner's Guide

If you have ever wanted to write a book, you need this little book. It will take away the fear and doubt. It will get you started.  In 6 easy steps you will develop your book. You will decide its content, its shape and direction. You will know exactly what you want to write and why. You will know your characters and your storyline. You will gain confidence at every step, and you will enjoy the journey.

This little book number 5 is about chapters and the importance of their place and their structure in your book. If you have outlined as in Book 1 of this series, you will now have Chapter Summaries. They are wonderful; the best tool you will ever have. Chapter Summaries are like a map. They are the map that will take you from the beginning of your journey to the very end. The writer is like a travel guide. It is important that you take your readers on a journey without getting them lost along the way. If you know where you are going, your reader will appreciate and enjoy the journey. As you write, each chapter creates an important link in the story. Each chapter leads your reader on to the next. Each chapter should end with something that makes the reader want to move on to the next. And then the next chapter begins with interest and so the story moves forward. This little book 5 will talk in depth about chapters and chapter skills. I hope it helps the beginning writer to create ongoing interest in their story.

In this series of little books, book 2 is given over to Motivation, Commitment, and Planning because of its importance. Your personal motivation, your commitment to the story you want to write, and the plan you have for how to achieve your goal, are vital elements of achieving success. The little books in this series will guide you on individual aspects of writing your book. It will be a wonderful journey with all the necessary help along the way. These books are intentionally ‘little’ so that you don’t get bogged down in reading on writing theory. They are one-step-at-a-time books. But you must be motivated. You must plan where you are going and you must commit to that plan. The pages here will help you

Why bother to write an outline? Many beginners don’t see the need for an outline. So they write Chapter 1 at the top and start. Most don’t get far then, or they do a very ‘beginner’s’ job of what they do write. The great majority of established authors still write an outline for every new book they attempt. The more books they’ve written, the more they understand the importance of outlining first. Outlining creates a tool. It is a very valuable tool that will keep you going. And further breaking it down into chapters is an even better tool. Many new writers start with an idea for a book and end with a short story. An idea alone is not enough. Writing an outline in the way described in Book 1 of this series, develops your story. It turns your idea into something much more detailed. It gradually grows your idea into a complex series of events that turn your idea, and your short story, into a real book length story. Writing a book is a journey. But you will get lost if you don’t know where you are going.

This little book number 7 assumes that you have done all the necessary preparation. Now it is time to write the first draft of your work. First draft? Yes, no matter how good you are it will be the first. It will need editing and changing later. So because it is a draft, you should try to write it as fast as you can. Since it will need editing anyway, don’t edit as you go. Don’t worry too much about it, it doesn’t have to be perfect right away. Getting the story down is what is important at this stage. Write it as quickly and as often as you can. This technique will unlock the creative part of your brain. You should be aware that writing is creative; editing is not. They use different parts of the brain. Trying to do both at once will stifle creativity. Write now! Edit later! Write fast!

This is little book 4 in the series. It is about your characters. It is about the importance of characters in your story. It is about creating characters and getting to know them well. It is not about any other aspect of writing, and for that reason I hope beginners will take the small amount of time needed to read this book. Your characters will benefit. Characters make your story. Your story, your plot, is moved along by its characters. You must get to know them. If you don’t know them, neither will your readers. This little book hopes to help you to create characters who will be believable and who will come to life in your plot.

This is Book 6 in this series. Structure is a very theoretical aspect of writing and it can be very off-putting for a beginner. This book will simplify it, and ease the fear. Whatever we are attempting to write, we owe it to ourselves to at least know what is meant by structure. And we should know that many theories exist. The fact that so much is written on the subject seems to indicate that there is a need for some kind of plan to ensure that your work follows a logical plan. So . . . What is Structure? For me, the simple answer is that structure is about the way you go about telling your story so that the reader will gain the most understanding or satisfaction from it.  That sounds simple, but many theories are not. And new writers may be overwhelmed by the thought of having to go to such lengths before even beginning to write. Don’t be put off. At first at least, all you really need is an awareness that you must write your work, whatever it is, in a logical progression and in a way that will make it a good experience for the reader.

This is book number 8 in this series and I hope it helps beginners who are about to face editing. Writing is fun, editing is not. At least that’s how I feel about it. But it has to be done. And for your own sake, I believe it is important for beginners to do their own editing, at least at first. Go through it and get your work as perfect as it can be before you entrust it to anyone else. There are two reasons for this. The first, and most important, is that you will learn from it. We all learn from our mistakes, and as you edit you will notice mistakes that you make and hopefully become more aware and less likely to make those mistakes in your future work. The second is that you need to be sure your work is what you intended it to be before you let anyone else offer an opinion on it. It will ensure that your work remains your own. Also, editing is an expensive business so the more you do initially, the less will be needed by someone you are paying. There are tips aplenty in this little book. I hope it helps you.

This is little book 9 in this series, and it is intended as a broad guide for beginners. There are different forms of publishing. Now, in this digital age, the new writer has options. This book hopes to guide you through those options, ranging from the traditional publisher to self-publishing a paperback and an eBook. There is a lot of information here, and I hope it makes the choices easier.