Writing a Book - 4 Easy Tips to Help You to Write Your Book by Angela Booth

Writing a book always takes longer than you think it will. However it shouldn't take forever. In this article we'll look at four easy tips which will help you to get your book written, and probably more quickly than you think possible.

I've written many books, both for print and for digital publication. I love developing books because I love the feeling of getting into a process and having lots to write. However, whether you love to create books or not, these tips will help you.

Here they are.

1. Remember That Creation Is a Process

The temptation when you're writing is to go back and constantly tinker with what you've written. You generate six words, decide that they're the wrong words, so you delete them and type several other words. Then you'll decide that those words are totally stupid, and you can do better... so you delete them again.

That's the fast road to madness.

Start, and keep writing. You can always fix it later, during the editing process. Keep a forward momentum when you keep going.

2. Avoid Obsessive Re-Reading

A book which takes several hours to read has taken several months, and sometimes several years, to write. Considering that you've only got a certain number of hours each day to spend on your book, avoid re-reading what you've written as much as possible. Re-reading wastes time you should be spending developing your book.

Reread the last page, but no more. Then start writing.

3. Outline: Just Do It

If you don't outline, get into the habit. Your outline can be a simple list of what you intend to cover in the book. If you don't outline, chances are you won't finish the book because you'll lose momentum.

I know many novelists who maintain that if they don't know happens in the book, the reader won't know either. Unfortunately, if you don't know what happens you're operating without a safety net. You'll paint yourself into a corner, or you'll wander off on weird tangents.

4. You Don't Need to Start at the Beginning

If you remember this one simple rule, you'll write many more books. Once you've completed your tentative outline, feel free to work on whatever chapter or scene strikes your mood on a particular day.

If you're writing a novel, and want to write a scene which takes place in the middle of the book, feel free. Alternatively if you're writing nonfiction, there's nothing stopping you from writing Chapter Eight before you write Chapter One. It's completely up to you.

Try these four tips. They'll not only help you to complete your book, but will also help you to build good writing habits.

Want to write a book? You can, with Angela Booth's comprehensive Write a Book Collection. Discover the secrets and develop the skills you need to write ANY book, from how-to guides to novels and memoirs. Angela's been writing since the 1970s, and she shares her secrets with you. Her Just Write A Book Blog helps you to write a book and get it published.