I want to write a book – I just don’t know how to get started
Anyone can write a memoir, and I am living proof of that! So, never having written a book before, I’ve decided to share some hard-won insights that would have made my life a whole lot easier going into the process. As far as I can tell, there are no hard-set rules when it comes to telling your story, but I have identified six tips to help kickstart your vision as you think about putting words to paper.
1. Everyone has a story
And I mean everyone! – from the cashier behind the counter, the gamer locked in her basement for months, or the attorney with a colorful career, we all have something to say. But it is how you choose to express your story and a willingness to reveal yourself that matters.
2. Just start writing
Don’t think. Just start – voice, tone, and audience – all that can come later. Once you have something down on paper, you can then go back and decide what points you would like to develop more fully. Approach it from different vantage points, randomly, free flowing, get stuff down (quickly) without judging yourself. Then go back and more fully make sense of things. If you take no shots, you make no baskets. And in this instance, if you put nothing to paper, you will have nothing to contemplate.
3. Watch the adjectives
Use adjectives sparingly. Use them early in your drafts as reminders to add more descriptive material later. Then, as you revisit your initial drafts, look for these leave-behinds as opportunities to tell your story more vividly. “My dry eyes hurt from staring at the screen all day.” Or “My eyes felt like cotton balls shoved into my skull from staring at the screen all day.” Hell, I don’t know, it’s your story!
4. Stay in your lane
No matter your experience, we all have a voice – a way of talking and using words that is relatable to the people in our circle of influence. Unless you have lived on a deserted island most of your life, believe it or not, millions of people will relate to your story, because of the person you are today. (But if you have lived on that island, please do share.) Pretending to be something you are not by using language that does not fit who you are, is never a good way to go.
5. Edit the daylights out of it!
OK, I’ll have to admit, this was something that caught me off-guard. Proficient writers may get there quicker but anticipate spending about half your efforts [reriting, re-writing, and rewriting] because you will find new ways of saying and expressing the same thought than you can foresee. And not to mention all the errors, the lackluster use of words, continuity, and repetition! I’d say, ten to twenty revisions would not be out of line.
6. Enlist help
After everything is said and done, once your voice and thoughts are laid bare, there are basic grammatical rules that should be adhered to as not to distract the reader. (And I am sure to have broken some here.) But enlisting a friend, family member, or professional editor will ensure that your story has fewest distractions possible. Also, use your spell-checker and grammar software to aid in the process. I needed all the help I could get.