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Steps to Write a BookStory Writing Ideas & Fiction Writing TipsSteps to Write a Book offers practical guidelines to write a book that appeals to your target audience. On this page we show, step by step, what you need to do to write a saleable story.
Steps to Write a Book #1: Choose Your Target AudienceBefore you begin writing, have in mind a clear picture of your target audience. This will determine the kind of story you write, the characters you create, the language you use, and the length and complexity of your story.
Ask yourself, who are you writing for? Children, teenagers or adults? If you're writing for children, which age group: babies, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary school kids or pre-teens? If you're reaching out to teen readers, which ones: early teens, mid-teens, late-teens? Be aware that each age group has different reading tastes (although there's some overlap, given the wide range of maturity levels among kids and teens of any age). To learn more about the books each age group prefers, visit
Hot Favorites for Kids
and
Cool Stories for Pre-Teens and Teens.
Find out about your readers' cares and concerns: talk to people, read magazines and newspapers, watch the news; you'll get an endless supply of ideas for stories.
Steps to Write a Book #2: Know Your ReadersOnce you have decided on your audience, do your homework. Find out which categories of books, and which particular books among them, are popular with your target readers, and why: what is it about these books that gets people reading and, equally important, what is likely to turn them off? Read book reviews: check out booksellers' websites, some of which run reviews by readers. Look through library websites, too, for reviews by readers or librarians. Visit bookshops and libraries, talk to the salespeople and librarians to find out which are the bestsellers. Get hold of the books most popular with your target audience, and read as many of them as you can, to gain an insight into what readers want. For lists of bestselling books for kids and teens, visit
Top Kids' Books
and
Top Cool Teen Books.
Steps to Write a Book #3: Now What You Need is a Flash of InspirationYou may already have your story all worked out in your head; or you may be facing a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen - and an equally blank mind. How do you get that flash of inspiration, that brilliant idea that'll lead to a bestseller? In fact, it's not difficult if you know where to look; ideas are all around you. To start you off, go to
Brilliant Ideas for Stories
and
Writing Prompts & Story Ideas
Steps to Write a Book #4: About Themes and PlotsThe theme is the kernel of the story, the central message you want to convey to readers. If you write without a unifying theme, your story will lack cohesion. Here are some examples of themes: Beauty and the Beast - character is more important than appearance; The Hare and the Tortoise - slow and steady wins the race; The Ugly Duckling - hold onto hope, there's always a beautiful tomorrow. Themes are built on needs and problems. For example, if you're writing for teens, some needs you can address would be your readers' search for identity and the pressures they face from friends and schoolmates. You could then build your story on themes like finding oneself through facing and overcoming challenges, or making choices based on one's personal convictions. The length of your story will determine the number of themes it can successfully carry; if you're writing a short story, it is wise to focus on just one or two themes. In a full-length novel, you can have a strong central message with a few secondary themes supporting it. Weave your storyline round your central theme. A short story will often have a simple plot based on a single theme. A longer novel can have a more complex plot, with subplots to add depth and interest.
Steps to Write a Book #5: A Story Outline Keeps You on CourseOnce you have the plot in your head, you'll need to put it down on paper in the form of an outline. This helps to clarify your thoughts, and it also makes it easier for you to spot inconsistencies in your story. Your outline can be in narrative or point form, it can be brief or detailed but, most importantly, it must establish your characters and show how the plot develops from beginning to end. Steps to Write a Book: what you may want to include in your outline: Not all writers work from a prepared outline; some prefer to develop the story as they go along. However, you'll find that writing from an outline helps to give you a more integrated story. You can measure each incident against the full storyline, pace your writing so that no scene gets underplayed or overemphasized, and time your cliffhangers for maximum dramatic effect.
Steps to Write a Book #6: Tantalizing TitlesYour title has to stand out from among many on the bookshelves; it has to catch the reader's attention at once, and convey the message that this is a book worth reading. Use vibrant, positive words suggestive of adventure, mystery, romance, fantasy, or whatever is appropriate for your story and your target audience. Also, while the title should give an accurate idea of what the story is about, it should not reveal too much: just enough to arouse curiosity, tantalize readers and compel them to grab your book off the shelf - and hopefully make a beeline for the checkout.
Steps to Write a Book #7: Research is Important TooEvery piece of information in your book must be accurate, even down to the smallest detail. Errors cause you to lose credibility as an author; so, do your research before you begin writing.
Research also gives an air of authenticity to your story. If your protagonist is a deep-sea diver, an airline pilot or a lion-tamer, you may want to find out more about these occupations. If you're writing historical fiction, you'll need to ensure that details in your story tie in with the historical events, social norms, culture and customs of that time and place: for example, what people ate and wore, what their homes were like, what they did for a living, who were the rulers, and what important events took place at the time.
For further tips and steps to write a book, visit the links below:
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