One goal that has been present in my life for quite a long while now is to, one day, write a book. Plenty of people have this same goal, and while I’m sure there are people out there who claim they desire to do so but don’t actually plan to commit to the idea, I know for a fact I would like to.
The main obstacle standing in my way in the context of writing a novel is attempting to determine what in the hell to write a book about. These days, anyone can write a story about just about anything, it seems, and without any experience or credentials behind them, for that matter.
Do you require a background in English to write a book? No. I would argue, though, that having a solid understanding of the English language can be a valuable tool in the grand scheme of literature, and being grammar-savvy doesn’t hurt, either.
Don’t even come at me with the idea of using AI. That is a disgrace to literature.
There isn’t a concrete manual out in the world that perfectly explains how to begin the process of writing a book, but there are a few useful things you can do to kickstart the process. Granted, having a topic is a great first step, and until you have that figured out, you can’t do a whole lot more.
After you have narrowed down your book idea to something specific, consider who you wish your readers to be. Selecting and knowing a target audience vastly influences the ways in which a story is written, and if you’re not sure who it is you would like reading your book, there is a strong probability the final product won’t reach your intended people.
Once you have designated a topic and an audience, you can begin your first draft. Editing and publishing come later, but once you get going, try not to stop, because creativity can be hard to come by.
Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash
