Good tips on how to write a book

sissybear · Post by **sissybear** » 13 Feb 2014, 23:54

I've been wrighting a book and have had some problems, so I was wondering if there was anyone out there who had a opinion or tips to help me out....Thanks

npandit · Post by **npandit** » 14 Feb 2014, 12:46

I don't want to be "that person"--but you spelled "write" incorrectly

!

agoodbook03 · Post by **agoodbook03** » 14 Feb 2014, 12:47

What kind of problems? What kind of book are you writing? Why drives you to write the book?

-- 14 Feb 2014, 12:47 --

npandit wrote:I don't want to be "that person"--but you spelled "write" incorrectly !

haha, I didn't either.

Loveabull · Post by **Loveabull** » 14 Feb 2014, 13:04

Speel Check is a very gud thing

sissybear · Post by **sissybear** » 14 Feb 2014, 14:01

npandit wrote:I don't want to be "that person"--but you spelled "write" incorrectly !

Yes I know, I've been trying to fix it but haven't been able to......

agoodbook03 · Post by **agoodbook03** » 14 Feb 2014, 14:14

It's cool. Don't sweat it. I do stuff like that all the time. Writing is about stories and how they make people feel. That technical stuff is for the editor to worry about

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 14 Feb 2014, 16:05

sissybear wrote:
npandit wrote:I don't want to be "that person"--but you spelled "write" incorrectly !
Yes I know, I've been trying to fix it but haven't been able to......

That's corrected for you

Katherine E Wall · Post by **Katherine E Wall** » 15 Feb 2014, 00:10

Have you read any books on the craft of writing? There are several out there, and most are available from libraries.
Have you taken any courses, in real life or online? Be careful though, and make sure they have a quality instructor, and they are not overcharging you.
Have you joined any writing communities? Either online or real-life or both? There are several places you can workshop your stories, get valuable critiques and learn from other authors.
I recommend as many of the above as you can invest time and (if necessary) money into.

ETA: I guess I should have looked at the time stamp on this discussion. It is a bit old, to say the least.

sissybear · Post by **sissybear** » 15 Feb 2014, 11:38

KEW wrote:Have you read any books on the craft of writing? There are several out there, and most are available from libraries.
Have you taken any courses, in real life or online? Be careful though, and make sure they have a quality instructor, and they are not overcharging you.
Have you joined any writing communities? Either online or real-life or both? There are several places you can workshop your stories, get valuable critiques and learn from other authors.
I recommend as many of the above as you can invest time and (if necessary) money into.

ETA: I guess I should have looked at the time stamp on this discussion. It is a bit old, to say the least.

No, but I'll do that! Thank you

Katherine E Wall · Post by **Katherine E Wall** » 15 Feb 2014, 14:27

Heh. It wasn't an old thread. What was I looking at? Maybe I was half-asleep when I added the edit.

sissybear · Post by **sissybear** » 15 Feb 2014, 16:42

Maybe you were.....

Jasper · Post by **Jasper** » 16 Feb 2014, 18:06

One tip that I know most people talk about is adverbs. They always say not to put them in your writing, and if you do keep it to a minimum. A lot of editors ask authors to get rid of them because literary agents consider it a first time author trait, unprofessional, and it's frowned upon (even though I've seen a lot of successful books filled with adverbs). If you're writing a children's book though, it probably doesn't matter much.

Side note: I've read lots of articles and interviews where the literary agent has said they won't even request an exclusive of your novel if your query letter contains adverbs. They assume that the rest of your work has too many by default.

WriterBLAlley · Post by **WriterBLAlley** » 11 Apr 2014, 12:24

More skool.

Seriously, tell the story you want to tell, and have someone with a literary or educated background read it. Then, accept their input, good or bad.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 16 Apr 2014, 21:32

agoodbook03 wrote:It's cool. Don't sweat it. I do stuff like that all the time. Writing is about stories and how they make people feel. That technical stuff is for the editor to worry about

Let me ask you... how many books have you sold? Because I can tell you that unless you're a celebrity or you're already an established author, most editors won't even consider a book that's full of typos and technical errors. It's critical to the new author that there be zero, count 'em, zero errors in a submission for consideration.

It's incumbent upon the author to not only write good stories, but to present a nearly error-free manuscript.

I can attest to that. I've got 2 novels sold & published (e-book and trade paperback), I'm writing the 3rd, and I've also sold quite a few articles, reviews, and other pieces to print magazines.

Yes, what you say is more important than a few typos, but too many mechanical errors are offputting and an agent or publisher or editor needs to be able to read your good stuff without impediments. And stumbling over typos or grammatical errors can lose you the sale.

-- 16 Apr 2014, 22:44 --

Regarding the request about writing, there are of course many books on composition and writing, excellent textbooks and other guides.

One of the finest and most impressive is by Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King), "On Writing" -- it's superb.

The original poster needs to first ask, "What am I trying to write?" -- nonfiction such as essays or articles, book reviews, etc? Or fiction -- novels, short stories, screenplays? What exactly?

Next question: "Why am I trying to write?" Do I want to be famous? Do I want lots of money? Do I just want to see my name in print? Or am I compelled to write because I love the effort of writing? (and by the way, it's okay to want to make money with your writing).

Let me 'splain that a bit... Just thinking that you want to make money by writing is whoring. However, if you are passionate about writing but also want to target your goals to include selling your stuff for real honest dough, that's perfectly okay. Pursuing both goals at the same time is what most writers do.

In fact, selling your short story or article or novel is a good measure that the piece is worthy. If someone, somewhere isn't willing to pay you, even a token amount, then you need to hone your skills.

So... ask yourself first "Why? Why do I want to write?" and then "What? What do I want to write?"

If you'll post these answers, then you'll get lots more good advice. Good luck!

Dolliebaby77 · Post by **Dolliebaby77** » 21 Jul 2014, 15:44

KEW wrote:Have you read any books on the craft of writing? There are several out there, and most are available from libraries.
Have you taken any courses, in real life or online? Be careful though, and make sure they have a quality instructor, and they are not overcharging you.
Have you joined any writing communities? Either online or real-life or both? There are several places you can workshop your stories, get valuable critiques and learn from other authors.
I recommend as many of the above as you can invest time and (if necessary) money into.

ETA: I guess I should have looked at the time stamp on this discussion. It is a bit old, to say the least.

Hey Guys,
i am band new here My name is Wendy Ann Patterson. PLEASE check out my Introduction post I am going to College for a 4-year degree IN Creative Writing Could anybody help me with writing classes or seminars that are college related and not to badly priced to begin with PLEASE ! It will make my writing for college and my novels easier. THANK YOU!!!

SINCERELY, WENDY ANN PATTERSON

-- 21 Jul 2014, 17:40 --

WriterBLAlley wrote:More skool.

Seriously, tell the story you want to tell, and have someone with a literary or educated background read it. Then, accept their input, good or bad.

Hi,

How is Everybody today? I know a lot of people liketo ask for advice but, the way I look at at advice is to never change your work so much that you don't believe in it anymore that you just want to writing, Just never give up trying and plugging away at your Manuscripts.

Sincerely,

Wendy Ann Patterson