How to go about writing your first book?

So, you have an idea for a book that you have been thinking about? Is it like that little niggle at the back of your mind that won’t go away.

Almost like an itch.

So If you are looking for a practical advice on how to do it, this piece is for you. There must be a lot of articles out there teaching you how to do it But I will tell you how I did it. I will share my experience because my historical fiction novel, Bleeding crown released recently, and the memory is still fresh.

If I can guess correctly then even the thought of writing a book must be scary. Overwhelming you with the effort and time involved. But don’t worry. I have you covered there.

I know people who sit down to write and then just keep staring at the blank page because they have no clue from where to begin. What if I told you that the reason you’re stuck has nothing to do with a lack of talent, or perfect plot?

The reason you’re stuck is because you think you need to see the entire staircase before you take the first step.

You don’t. You just need a structure.

We’re not talking about some complicated, color-coded system. This is a simple, actionable plan to get you from that scary blank page to a finished first draft. So let’s begin.

This isn’t about writing a perfect book on your first try. It’s about giving yourself permission to start, and having a path to follow so you can actually finish.

Point number one. The 'Why'.

Before you write a single word, you need to know, why you’re writing this book. This is your foundation. It will work like your North star on days you will feel like giving up completely.

Unless you have that clarity, you would be going down a rabbit hole.

So, how do you get that clarity? It really comes down to making two key decisions.

First, decide your book type.

Are you writing fiction, a memoir, or nonfiction? Decide now because they all have different structures. A fiction novel is a story from your imagination. Nonfiction is all about teaching or informing your reader. And a memoir? That’s your personal story, but not an autobiography covering your entire life.

Making this choice will give you focus and help you learn the rules of the game.

Second—and this is a big one—define your target reader.

And no, the answer can’t be “everyone.” There’s a common saying, when write for everyone, you often end up connecting with no one.

So get specific. Being specific liberates you. Who is this person? What do they love? What keeps them up at night? For a nonfiction book, maybe it’s a 40-year-old manager drowning in his to-do list.

For a fantasy novel, maybe it’s a college student who loves morally grey characters and larger than life worlds. When you know who you’re talking to, writing feels more like a conversation.

Once you have your book type and your target reader, you’ve got your, why. You have a direction strong enough to start building a book.

Next come The 'How'.

How do you actually structure this thing?

This is where people get scared by the big outline. They imagine a hundred-page, document that takes all the fun out of writing. An outline is not a cage; it’s a roadmap. Imagine you are supposed to travel from Delhi to Leh and you have never done it before.

But you know from Delhi, you will cross Kundli, Panipat, Karnal, ambala and and from there to Manali. That’s all there is to outline. just a few landmarks on a map to make sure you don’t get totally lost. As long as long you remember to turn after Ambala, you would be fine. You don’t need to know every twist and turn to start the car.

Here are a couple of popular strategies.

First, there’s the “Bookend” Method.

All you do here is figure out your beginning and your end. Don’t worry about those being right or wrong. They are just thoughts at this point of time.

Is there a feeling or emotion, you want to evoke at the beginning and towards the end? Make a note of it. Let me tell you a secret. There is 90% probability that when you will get to your second draft both these scenes will be completely different.

So for a novel, you could start with your hero feeling completely defeated and ending with him achieving his goal. For nonfiction, you can start with the reader’s biggest pain point and end with the transformation they’ll experience after reading your book. Just knowing your starting point and destination can give you a direction.

The other approach is the “Milestone Method”.

With this, you just identify a few major turning points.

For fiction writers, this often looks like a basic three-act structure: a beginning that sets up the world, an inciting incident that kicks off the real story, a messy middle where everything gets more complicated, and then the climax and resolution.

For nonfiction, your milestones are the key stages you’re teaching.

If your book is about starting a business, your milestones could be:

1. Nailing Down the Idea,

2. Building the Plan,

3. Getting the Money, and

4. The Big Launch.

Each of these become a major part of your book.

Once you have done that you get to the premise. This is your promise to the reader. A clear idea , in one sentences telling your reader what is the story about. Everything that will happen in the book will be about this one sentence. Everything that you do must connect with this.

Now this is a standard practise. But here comes my advice based on my experience. It may be difficult. Maybe outright impossible for you to get this at right now. If you get it great. If you don’t. Then don’t worry. You will get to it later. No pressure.

Writing is suppose to be fun. Alright?

For a fiction novel, this sentence should have a character, a goal, and a conflict. Something like: a young man who couldn’t find a job finds about his wife’s cancer.With no other option, he decides to rob a bank so he can save her. What follows is unimaginable. You make a tragic story out of it. A crime thriller. A court room drama. Anything you want.

For a nonfiction book, it could be about the reader’s problem and the solution you offer. For example: This book teaches busy professionals how to cook healthy meals in under 20 minutes. This one sentence will guide everything you write.

The next part is important. It is ‘When’.

You can have the greatest idea and a beautiful premise, but the book will not write itself. You will have to do it. This last bit is the engine that will drive your car. A sustainable writing habit.

The biggest mistake people make is when they setup unachievable targets. Stephen King writes 2000 words a day. So I will also do it. But you are not Stephen king my friend. Inspiration is an amazing guest, but it’s a horrible employee. You can’t count on it to come every day.

The secret is consistency.

Stop treating writing like some mystical, artistic gift and start treating it like any other important work. Set a consistent time and place. Look at your schedule and find a slot that works for you. Maybe it’s 20 minutes before or after you have said Good night to everyone at home. Just by showing up at the same place, same time, you tell your brain – This is the writing time.

Next set a achievable goal.

One of the fastest ways to burn out is setting a crazy target like write for three hours

or

2,000 words a day.

Start small. Start with 15 minutes a day or just 300 words and get to 500 soon. 500 words a day will give you 50,000-word novel in 100 days. That’s a full first draft in three months. The goal is not a big word count; it’s to build momentum and get small wins every day.

Finally—and this may be the most important advice —

Allow yourself to write a shity, messy, first draft. And here lies the magic. The purpose of a first draft is not to be good; its purpose is simply to exist. So many writers get paralyzed because they edit while they write. Don’t do it. Save yourself the heartburn.

It will kill your momentum.

It is the single biggest reason why people are unable to finish their books. Shut down your inner editor. Don’t go back and fix typos. Don’t rewrite that stupid paragraph. Just keep moving forward.

You can’t edit a blank page, but you can always, always revise a messy one.

So let’s sum it up. Going from a blank page to The End, isn’t some secret sauce. It’s just about taking these simple steps. Be clear on your why. Make a simple map. And put your story down in one or two sentences.

And last, Make a sustainable habit to write every day.

That scary feeling which you get comes because you look at the whole project in a single glance. These steps will help you focus on what is in front of you. Not what you did yesterday. And not what you will do tomorrow.

A book is not an outcome of single day genius. It happens when you take small steps but you take them every day. Now you know the steps.

And now I would like to hear from you.

Drop a comment below and share your one-sentence story. Let’s see what ideas you have.

And if you still have not subscribed to the newsletter, please do so. It will help me create more content if I know someone is reading.

Till then, Stay happy and be nice to others.

See you soon.