The Beginner Writer: How to Write - and Finish - Your First Book: The Complete Writer, #1

Introduction

We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. – Anaïs Nin

If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. – Toni Morrison

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou

I always wanted to be a published writer.

Ever since I was a little girl, every time I walked past a bookshop, I would imagine my book in the window. I imagined that I would grow up and have a whole shelf in the store filled with my books.

And yet, I never really had the courage to write. Other than assignments for school, I never managed to complete a single piece of writing. I had ideas for stories, but beyond a few sentences, I couldn’t put any of them on paper. I didn’t take any writing classes in college, or have any drawers stacked full of secret manuscripts. I could barely complete my papers for school, and I practically bombed any course that relied on a paper for its primary grade. I was as far from a writer as you could find.

But I wrote, a lot, in my head. I made up elaborate stories and had lots of ideas for non-fiction books. I wanted to write a book more than anything, but I didn’t know how to start.

It took me years to acknowledge my creative dreams, to admit them even to myself. I was very creative as a child, and then because of difficult family circumstances, I became blocked and frozen with fear. When I was younger, I won creative writing competitions and wrote poems almost daily; but at some point I lost my belief in my ability to string sentences together. I stayed in the orbit of the world of writing, reading writing reference books and collecting magazine submission guidelines. I dreamed of what I would write, but never put pen to paper. I struggled with college writing assignments, and preferred instead to edit the words of others. I stayed away from any profession that would require me to declare my facility with words, and instead developed my expertise as a researcher, citing the words and thoughts of others. I lived a shadow life.

Even when I finally did write something down, I was not able to finish it or believe that it could be a complete book. I started many novels and short stories and left them half-finished, too intimidated to go on. My notebooks were littered with ideas and half-begun thoughts. I wrote most of an entire memoir across various notebooks and word processor files, and then simply abandoned it.

Despite all these false starts and seeming failures, my dream to be a published writer stayed strong. One day I had the courage to self-publish a literature study guide that I had written in high school, and then slowly a few other books based on work I had already done before. Still unable to trust that I had much to say, the first completely new book I wrote was advice for students, intertwined with personal stories on a bedrock of solid research. I was still relying on my ability as a researcher, afraid to trust myself to put down my own thoughts and ideas, without the scaffolding of someone else’s legitimacy. But I was hooked. I loved writing and publishing my own work, and one book at a time, I taught myself how to write consistently.

Why am I qualified to tell you how to write? I don’t have an English literature degree (I went to law school and then got a public policy degree), I am not even a bestselling author with legions of screaming fans, but I have been writing regularly for the past few years and I have published nine books, some translated in other languages. More importantly, I was in your shoes not so long ago, desperate to see myself as a writer, longing to be able to finish something and have my name on the cover of a book.

I remember what it is like to feel like a beginner. I still have doubts. I still stare at the blank page or screen and reach for the chocolates - not knowing if I have anything to say. But now I know what to do next.

When I tell people that I am a writer, I get a variety of responses. Many people look intimidated and slowly sidle away. Others get a wistful look, like they wish they too could write, if only they had the talent. People often tell me about their dream to one day write a book. Usually they say it in a way that conveys that they could never actually do it – I wish I had the time, I wish I could take six months off to write, or I don’t have the discipline. Sometimes they say – Oh I could never write a book, I am not smart enough. A few pepper me with questions: How did you start writing? Did you always know you wanted to write? How long does it take you to write a book? and so on.

I realized that most of these responses are variations on a theme - many people want to write and have ideas they would like to express, but are intimidated by the process, by thinking that it is too hard or that they don’t have the requisite talent, or think they don’t have enough time to fit writing into their already packed schedule. If you would like to write a book but don’t know how to start, are bewildered about the specifics or don’t even know if you should contemplate writing, this book is for you.

I wrote this book to share my insights with others who may be struggling with putting pen to paper. I know what it’s like to want so desperately to have the courage to follow a dream, but not know how to take the first step towards it. I was like a thirsty person in the desert seeing a mirage. Every time I thought I was taking a step closer to the water’s edge, the vision just moved a little further away. I could never quite get there.

I wrote this book because I still remember what it feels like not to believe in yourself. Not to think that you can do it. That you have what it takes. Or that you can keep going for the length of time it takes to write and edit an entire book. In fact, I still feel that way sometimes, especially about writing fiction. I have written some fiction, even finished an entire novel, but I am still a long way away from being an accomplished novelist or fiction author. I still feel massive amounts of doubt and don’t think I can consistently write fiction. I have stories that I want to write, but I can’t bring myself to put them on the page.

I also wrote this book to remind myself how to write. I always find that writing about a subject is the best way to really learn it. I found myself needing to keep reminding myself of the lessons I have shared in this book – in fact, much of it helped me to finish writing this one – and having it all in one place is really helpful for me. Therefore, I also hope these lessons help you just as much – and helps you get to the end of your manuscript.

There are many reasons to write a book. If you’re interested in writing a book, and I assume you are since you’re reading this, then you probably already have some good reasons for wanting to pick up a pen (or open your word processor). However, I think it’s helpful to list some of the reasons that I and other authors write, to give you further motivation in case you need it.

Some people want to write a book for the same reason that others decide to climb a mountain or join an Ironman competition – it is a challenge, and you feel a sense of achievement when you have completed it. Maybe you would like to be able to tell your peers that you wrote a book. Or you want to become a speaker or consultant, and writing a book on your method or ideas will give you added credibility. Writing a book is still seen as a prestigious accomplishment, even though it is easier than ever to write and publish.

Perhaps you would like to write a book for your grandchildren, telling them what it was like to live through the Vietnam war or the historic era of Obama’s presidency or the global pandemic. Maybe you want to ensure that your family’s favorite recipes are recorded for posterity.

Whatever the reason, if you have always wanted to write a book, but didn’t think that you could do it, or didn’t know how to go about it, this book will help you get from the blank page to a finished book.

But first – who should NOT read this book? Your time is valuable and I wouldn’t want you to waste it - so I will tell you upfront what this book will not tell you and who would not benefit from this book.

If you are looking for advice on how to get an agent, how to pitch to publishers and write query letters – this is not the book for you. There are plenty of books that do that much better than I can, especially since most of my books have so far been self-published through my own publishing imprint. If you are looking for detailed advice on writing a novel – how to create characters or write dialogue or write lyrically beautiful prose, this book will be massively disappointing since I don’t cover any of that. I also don’t cover marketing and social media strategies or how to build your mailing list.

What do I cover? The basics of writing a book, whether it is non-fiction or a novel, from getting the initial idea, to writing a first draft all the way to a finished book. I cover how to find time to write, dealing with writer’s block and editing. If you have wanted to write a book for years, but did not know where to start, this book will give you the tools to finally have a completed book that you can hold in your hands.

I wrote this book because I want to share the things I’ve learned along the way. While in some ways I’m still a beginner, in other ways, I’ve crossed the river. I’m on the other side, holding a lantern. The lantern creates enough illumination that you can see the way. And I’m there to point out the particularly tricky bits, the parts where the water is deeper than it appears, and to point out the rocks that are safe to step on. Follow the light and join me on the other side. I want to show you how to finally finish writing your book. To show you that you can take your dream from I wish to I did.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s begin.

1

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any. – Orson Scott

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. – John Steinbeck

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. – Stephen King

Ideas Are Everywhere

Ideas are in the air,

waiting to be captured.

Invariably if you read an interview with a writer or attend a book signing, someone will ask the question: Where do you get your ideas? Children’s author R L Stine said recently that he has been asked some version of this question at every media interview. His answer: The Idea Store. I imagine that, much like The Container Store, this is a store with a giant catalogue filled with all kinds of ideas for all kinds of situations, just waiting for you to pick one off a shelf. If only.

As a creative person, this question has always mystified me because I have always had ideas. Ideas to me are everywhere, they are simply waiting to be acted on. Therefore, I think the question is not simply about where to get ideas, but speaks more deeply to the belief about what constitutes an idea and its importance to the creative process.

From reading interviews with authors, it seems to me that for many authors, the idea for a book starts out just as a wisp – something small and intangible that just comes into one’s mind as a question – what if? What if I were to write a book about shoes? Maybe shoes in the 18 th century? Maybe write about shoes as they have evolved over time?

This idea is just a vague notion at first, but depending on your unique perspective it could develop in many ways – it could focus on the shoes of the aristocracy or shoes made by European fashion houses or on traditional shoes in Asia. You could write a novel about a shoemaker or a woman whose shoe-collection is out of control. There are so many ways and directions in which to take this simple germ of an idea.

Sometimes ideas come more fully formed. The idea for Goldilocks Lives in Leamington, my book of humorous essays, came from my mom, several years ago. At the time I didn’t think I could write that book or even want to, but I filed the idea away. And many years later, it re-surfaced one day when it seemed like the right time to work on it. The final book did not differ much from the initial idea, which was to write stories about my experiences in college in the UK as an international student, particularly focusing on the incongruous situations I often found myself in.

At other times, the idea is simply a starting point. I wrote a short story for which the inspiration came to me a year or so earlier, while walking into my apartment building. In my mind, I saw a man taking