This blog really can be summed up in three words, “Just Start Writing.” I mean in order to be the next John Grisham or James Patterson, you kinda have to start writing.
For a newbie, this is easier said than done, right? You’re probably thinking there is this lengthy process that you remember from your high school English classes and that overwhelms you. You have to make a decision on what kind of book you’re writing… a fiction or non-fiction book, a blog, a script, a poem, etc. Think of a topic. Research it. Develop characters. Write an outline. Write a killer opening and an equally killer ending. Design or pay someone to design a nice cover. Get an editor. Lots of rewrites because your grammar is horrible. Second round of edits. More rewrites. That can be a massive hit on your ego because you’ve given your all and, on top of that, you’re sensitive about your ish. Finally, your editor gives the final approval. You are now ready to publish.
OK, breath and woosah! Yeah, the aforementioned is the process, eventually, but to start, I’m going to hit you with how I began this blog “just start writing.” You’ll go through several drafts of it anyway. Get your thoughts out about whatever the subject-matter is on paper or on a computer device first. I’m old-school, I still use pen and paper to start writing out my ideas and then I’ll convert them into a computer later. If you can’t keep pen and paper around somewhere, the notes section in your smartphone works just fine. It does not have to be perfect. I repeat, it does not have to be perfect. You can flesh out the details and research more information later to create an outline. Sidenote, I need to invest in one of those digital writing tables that will convert your written words into text on a computer but the one I really want is outside of my budget right now.
But in addition to that, set aside time a week to actually write your book. I won’t say write daily. As of today, I don’t even write daily. However, as a member of the Permission to Write and Prose Society Writers’ Groups, I do write on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Fridays for sure and, sometimes, I miss writing on those days. So you may want to be a little more realistic based on your schedule. Maybe an hour twice a week is doable. Go ahead and set an alarm on the day and time whenever you figure that part out. Some people can do longer and that is fine. If you get in a flow, don’t stop yourself; remember to keep writing and edit it later.
If you’ve never written anything prior, getting out your thoughts gives you an energy and confidence boost. It’s a reminder that you know what you’re talking about because of your experience or it’s a reminder that you’re just so creative and brilliant. If you’re like me, you’ll start praising yourself, patting yourself on the back. I’m like “oooh, that line was cold!” I use my own “Winning is the Only Game She Plays” Journal to track my goals throughout writing my book.
Once your thoughts are out, keep a pause on editing for grammar. It’s not time yet; trust me on that. As a newbie, editing while writing is an unnecessary waste of time. You need to read through your work and organize an outline for it first. I used to be a sports editor for my college’s, Tennessee State University, award-winning newspaper, so I had to edit my whole section before submitting to the copyeditor and/or layout editor. Editing for grammar and length were equally as important. It was taking me so long when I began writing my first book “Stop Being Disrespectful by Low-balling Your Fees” because I was editing as I was writing. After creating the outline, I was able to organize my writing in its proper place. Then I began to edit for grammar and add more anecdotal stories. An outline keeps you from writing too much or from not writing enough.
It was amazing seeing it all come together before my eyes but that came about because I stopped overthinking it and you should too. So “just start writing.” Are you ready?