Important Book Writing Tips To Overcome Writer’s Block
These book writing tips come from years of experience. The sooner you put them into practice the happier and more productive you will become.
Writer’s block is one of the most common complaints that writers have. But I think there is just a misconception.
Let me explain.
Most people don’t have a day to day experience with being a writer. They think writers simply sit down and the words start flowing. And then they become frustrated because reality does not measure up with their perception of reality.
And then they give up.
One Of The Best Book Writing Tips Is Don’t Give Up!
One of the best book writing tips I can give you is not to give up.
Just relax.
Writing is not a one time event. It is the end of a process.
Just as if you were to start cooking a recipe you need to have everything in place.
Have you ever heard of a chef getting cooking block because he ran out of carrots or pepper?
This is because the chef knows what he needs before he starts the recipe and he makes sure he has it.
It would be foolish to start cooking if he only had half the ingredients. Wouldn’t it?
You Need To Know What You Need Before You Start Writing
Now, what you need will be different for every writer and every story.
But, here are some key ingredients:
- Plot
- Characters
- Setting
- The style and voice that the story must be told in
- What the story is about…Revenge? Rescue? Overcoming guilt?
That’s Just The Beginning
Before you sit down to write a single word you must have an idea of the key ingredients.
Now, as you get deeper and deeper into the story you will need to have more and more detailed variations of these ingredients.
Let’s say you are writing a scene, a character is tied to a chair and trying to escape before a bomb goes off.
Before you sit down and write anything ask yourself these questions.
- How will the character escape?
- Can he wiggle his way out?
- Perhaps another character will save him?
- If so, which character is best for that job?
- Will the plot be moved forward if the character lives or dies?
- What objects in the setting might help him escape?
What other book writing tips will you need? Just sit down and think about it for a while.
So Where Do I Find The Answers?
Some of the answers to the questions you need to ask yourself will be obvious. A Western should probably be set in the West.
Some of them will be less obvious and harder to find. But they will come to you.
- The answer you might need for a character might come from a passing conversation with a stranger.
- The answer you need for the style or voice of the narrator might come from a song on the radio.
- You may realize you must change the point of view for the entire novel just as you are about to fall asleep.
So Keep A Notebook!
Over time you will gather up the answers you need to write your book.
Now, unlike a chef in the kitchen, you can and should start writing before you have all the ingredients.
Writing is an adventure and you will not know exactly what you need until you get there.
But, when you get to that point, don’t get frustrated.
Just because you need some rope to climb a mountain on your adventure doesn’t mean it will magically appear then and there.
Give it some thought. What needs to happen to the character, plot, dialogue etc. in this scene? How do I go about getting that rope?
Think about it, relax, and go do something else. Keep these book writing tips in mind and eventually the answer will come.
I promise.
For more information on how to write a novel, publish it and market it online, click here.