How To Write A Book - Story Telling 101 - Quick Tips
- Itai Vhudzijena
- Jul 31, 2021
- 3 min read
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK 📚 - STORY TELLING 101 - QUICK TIPS
As a published Author ✍️ of multiple books on Amazon, people have frequently asked me how I come up with stories to write about; where I find my inspiration from; where I find the Time and how I get disciplined enough to actually sit down and type my thoughts on paper, Page by Page, Chapter after Chapter, Day in Day out … until I have a complete Manuscript, then a Book.
I will share with you 10 Tips on how to get started, how to get organized, how to balance your other chores and responsibilities in between writing your Manuscript, how to remain focused and motivated despite and inspite having to break your momentum and attend to other duties and responsibilities and still come back and continue from where you left off with the same zeal, enthusiasm and thrill you had when you started.
The tips are so simple and logical you’ll find them very easy to follow.
Tip No. 1
Write about a Subject matter you are passionate about … a subject you are enthusiastic about … even a subject that tugs at your heart … baffles you … a subject you have personal contradictions with.
It could be about family relationships between a wife and husband … children and their parents …
It could be about friends and friendships …
It could be about colleagues at the Work Place … business partners …
Decide what the conflict is going to be about.
Is it going to be about infidelity … misunderstanding of sorts … maybe a quarrel that started simply enough but because of the way it was received, snow-balled into something major … catastrophic …?
Tip No. 2
Which Genre are you targeting?
Are you interested in writing Poetry, Drama/ Play, Short Story or a Novel?
Are you into Comedy, Tragedy, Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction?
Get clear about this from the outset.
Tip No. 3
Which Age Group are you targeting?
Being clear about this is important because that will determine which language you will use; what Content you will incorporate into your Manuscript and what Take Home Message you want to convey.
The language you use for a 15 year old is different from the language you use for a 30+ something Reader … even though you’d be speaking about the same subject matter.
Tip No. 4
Source
The Stories could come from the time when you were growing up.
So many things happen in our lives and most of that can be weaved, converted and narrated into a Story and eventually a Book.
Tip No. 5
Have fun whilst writing your Book.
Relax.
Enjoy the whole process.
Look forward to your Creation Process!!
Imagine yourself a Painter with a Paint Brush - the only difference being that your Canvas is your Laptop and your Paint Brush is your fingers clicking away at that Key Pad.
Tip No. 6
Schedule a predictable ‘Writing Time’.
Be consistent, everyday - without fail.
Be disciplined.
Be accountable to YOURSELF.
Keep focus.
If you set the Time for your Write Up to be from say 5pm to 10pm Sunday to Thursday; then by golly STICK TO THAT SCHEDULE NO MATTER WHAT!!
Be true to your personal commits!
Tip No. 7
Believe you have something interesting, inspiring, important and fascinating to say.
Believe that your overall message CAN and DOES ADD value to your community.
Simply put, have confidence in your Story Telling Abilities!!
Tip No. 8
If you can write a Speech, you can write a Book!
The same requirements that are expected in writing a Speech, are the same when writing a Book.
You need a Clear Opening, a Main Body with transitions - that is your Story Line; and a Conclusion.
Your Book must end and the beauty is since this is your creation, you can be creative on how you want your Opening to be like in the first Chapter or 2 … what you will incorporate in your subsequent Chapters in the form of building your Story Line and how your Story will end.
Tip No. 9
Make it a habit to write in an environment without too many distractions.
For example, I like to sit on the balcony … “see” the sunlight, breathe the fresh air and write.
I can sit for 14 to 17 hours straight just writing.
It’s like breathing for me.
I never get tired.
Tip No. 10
NEWS FLASH!!
NOT EVERYONE will like your Book!!
They will have something to criticise about your Book …
‘Oh, The Story Line is not believable …!’
‘I did not like the ending …!’
‘That character you made as The Protagonist should not have ended by making that particular decision …!’
On and on the criticisms continue …
THAT’S OK!!
Keep at the back of your mind that the purpose of writing your Book in the first place is to start a conversation going in society … make people think and start coming up with better ways of behavior … better responses to challenges … better ways of treating themselves and others …
That is your primary role as a Writer.
Writing is fun!!