How to write a book? (And complete it)

Let us cut through the chase. Starting to write a book is easy, but finishing it, is a bumpy road and one I can only hope to prepare you for. You want to learn to write a book, and I am going to do one better, I am also going to help you finish it.

Plan it ahead

This is an important step. Planning your book will give you a wide perspective on your idea and you will know what to write in the next chapter, which is a common cause of writer’s block...

• Research: a must for historical fiction
• Know your characters: Their personalities, how do they behave, what is their favourite colour etc…
• What type of book is it going to be about: This depends on the word count of the book. Novellas are less than 50 000 words and novels are above 50 000.
• What genre do you want to write in? I suggest choosing a genre that you are accustomed to.

Just remember that you do not have to write a full-fledge outline of your story, a paragraph for each chapter, explaining what is going to happen should be enough.

Get motivation

As I mentioned before, writing is a difficult hobby and if you are not disciplined enough, then most of your stories are not going to be done anytime soon.

Easier said than done.

That is why I am recommending, you tell your family or someone you trust, the fact that you are writing a book. This will motivate you to finish it because you will know that someone is expecting to read it. An example would be homework. You will do it cause your teacher is expecting to see it.

If you are not comfortable informing people, I recommend joining an online community like Wattpad (this is not an affiliated link). It is free and there is a lot of writers who would be willing to help you and give you advice.

Have a schedule

When you schedule and reserve a time to write, you are more likely to actually do it. So find a time when you are more productive and use it to write your book.

How long you should work on it, depends on you. If you want to write your novel in a year, then writing once every week should be fine.

Sit down and write

There is really no way around it. Sometimes the best solution is to sit down and write, even when you do not feel like it. Just know that the reward is greater when you hold your first completed draft in your hand. So Keep writing!

Thank you for reading and for joining me on this learning journey. If you have more tips, you can comment it below or you can subscribe to our newsletter, to get updated on similar posts.