How to start writing a book?

The best way to begin a book will differ from person to person. Some people, once they have a vague idea of what happens, jump right in and start writing. Some have to spend months developing character, stakes, and plot. Some (like me) are somewhere in between.

Because of this, the only way to answer your question is through practice. Practice writing short stories, and see if they turn out better when you develop first, or when you just write first. I have found that writing fan fiction is perfect for this. Find a site that supports fan fiction, or short fiction contests, in something you are interested in, and start writing (or developing, as the case may be).

Regardless of which way you write, the first thing you write will be the rough draft. The rough draft, for those that write first, is where you get your ideas down and see how they unfold. It's where you see the connections and details you had overlooked. Once you feel ready, work in some development, and start writing again. You may have to go through several drafts before writing the final one. Don't worry, this is normal.

If you develop more first, the rough draft is the place where you see how things unfold, and why or why not certain scenes and/or ideas work. I know from experience, that something can seem perfectly logical in development, and completely ludicrous in writing.

I've found that the more development you do, the fewer drafts you will have to write. This does not mean you should do more development right away though, since I've also found that my writing suffers when I do that.

Practice, and find out which method yields your best fiction. That is how you will begin writing.

posted almost 9 years ago

CC BY-SA 4.0

Thomas Myron‭

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For advice on the more creative aspect of writing, see Tommy's answer. As for how to start from a structural standpoint:

The plot diagram of most stories is well defined, and a version of it can be viewed here: Plot Diagram. As you can see, it begins with the Exposition.

During the exposition, three things are introduced: Setting, Characters, and Conflict. Obviously, the length of the exposition and amount of detail will be defined by the length of the story as a whole.

A common type of story is the Hero's Journey, which also has a diagram: Hero's Journey. This follows the Initiate, who starts his journey in the Known World. In this case, the exposition mainly consists of introducing the Initiate, his or her "known world" (village/town, friends/acquaintances, goals, interests, etc) and then the event which pulls them into the unknown world (which is the conflict/inciting incident from the plot diagram).

As for style and creativity, that all has to come from you. Structure will only take you so far.

I hope this helped, and keep writing!

posted almost 9 years ago

CC BY-SA 3.0

jm13fire‭

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