You chose the ludicrous notion of writing your debut novel. Writing a book is a long arduous process, like running a marathon, which keeps moving the finish line every time you see the home stretch. The results of success can be so miniscule you may need a magnifying glass to see the results. Your precious writing, direct from your soul, is all too often scrutinized. There’s no shortcut to doing this. Every step needs to be done well and professionally to fool the most critical of readers, for your writings are no longer private.
What makes people do this? For some it’s the misguided want for fame and attention, and if they’re lucky, stumble onto that amazing story which comes once in a blue moon, the kind which defies all the rules of logic, making more money than the queen of England. For others, it’s telling the story which has been gathering moss since their childhood in a way which is bursting at the seams to escape. Still others do this as a hobby, something they pick up for a day or two, only to have their story rot on a shelf unfinished with most of their other goals.
I refused to be apologetic in what I say, as most writers have unrealistic expectations from their writing. Still, perhaps instant success is truly in your future, if you know the steps to do this. Some say the longest journey starts with the first step. Well, lace your shoes. Because you are about to travel the backcountry roads of self-publishing.
You will want to trade in those sharp sneakers for a good four by four instead, since it will be a bumpy ride. This is because while many brave the rough waters of traditional publishing (if they’re lucky enough to find an editor who will pick them up) others may find self-publishing is their way to make their book. There’s no doubt this rout has its advantages. With higher royalties, you own your book, not some fat cat in a stuffy office. You have the final say in what goes in your story, not an editor, and most of all, more freedom. Sound wonderful, well consider the trade-offs. You pay for everything including, printing, editing, the cover art, the marketing, and worst of all, there are few to tell you if you are on to something or not.
Still want to give it a go, well you have come to the right place. I have all the steps. Please note these steps relate only to fictional books in which I have found success. I do not say this is the only correct way, as there could be others, but I will keep it to my experience since when I’ve strayed from this, I have met nothing but problems. For your best path for non-fictional material, I would suggest finding someone who has written it before, as the process is different.
Step one: let your imagination run wild
Give yourself permission to think of anything and everything while writing it all down. This primes your imagination and allows it to spew ideas. Most will be strange material you can’t use, but that’s okay. Write it down, anyway. This is not the time to be picky because, if you are, your mind will go into pouting mode like a toddler. So, get every idea. Be prepared to take a notepad everywhere you go, since your mind won’t shut off just because you are doing other things. Even when you are sleeping, you may have innovative thoughts that quickly slip away, like water in a colander. You may find you’ve lost the idea forever if you’re not prepared. Once you have gathered enough ideas, get more of them. Remember, a novel isn’t just one good idea, it’s a delicate jigsaw puzzle which keeps getting bigger the further in the process you get. Don’t stop taking down ideas just because you are well within the process of writing. Consider the changes for better ones. You only must rewrite your entire book. It’s not a big deal. That’s the breaks. You started this journey. I told you there’d be bumps along the way and there will be more.
Step two: organize your ideas
This step involves gathering your ideas and placing them accessibly. For some, it means putting them into a binder or leaflet if they are afraid of the computer. In fact, many writers did this before the computer became a household object. If you are like me and choose to do the former, consider choosing your software. I like One Note since all your notes are accessible with mention of a keyword. I also like pictures and other excerpts from the internet there. Doing this will help you keep track of your notes and make it a lesser of a chance to lose them. I’ve even used Excel in long stories to keep my dates and events straight and consistent in making a timeline. Not that there are other ways of keeping organized, but again, I am going by what has worked for me.
Step three: create your characters and setting profiles
This is an important step. Imagine if you have drawn a character with a pencil and it doesn’t have any color to it. This step is where you color it. Take down details like how they look, their age, their personality, their hobbies, their strengths and weaknesses. You will want to write a brief description of their life and a picture of what they look like. I use ChatGPT for this process, though some may say it’s cheating. However, I say, unless you are a talented artist and have experience with artwork, then break the mold and do it. Remember, you aren’t creating content for your book yet, so who cares if you ask AI to bring you a rough draft of your character or place? It will save you a great deal of time. Remember to provide as many details as possible for the best results. It may not be exactly what you imagined, but then again, ideas change anyhow.
Step four: the all-important first draft
Now that you have taxed your imagination to the limit, you will be ready to begin on your story. Solemnly swear to give yourself permission to write garbage. You heard me. Yes, write absolute trash. The reason is that you will only have partial thoughts at this point. Some good ideas, with others developing. Along with others which have plot points leading nowhere or off a cliff. This is okay. Do it! It will make you tougher to get through this rough point. The goal here is to make sure you know the general direction of your story. Think of it as an outline which changes constantly. This will have grammar problems, with spelling and adjectives which dangle off to nowhere. It doesn’t matter to force yourself to write the craziest nonsense you can, even if you swear you won’t include it. You’re probably right, but it doesn’t matter because you will make many changes anyhow.
Step five: the critical second draft
Now you are ready to begin your masterpiece. Wrong! In fact, the major difference between the first and second draft is that now you will write as many details as possible. Think of it as making a roadmap of your story. You will want to include as many descriptions as possible of places, people, settings, and of their problems. No, you won’t use everything in the final draft, but trust me, you will need all the details as possible when you start really putting the pieces together. This is the step where you will do the bulk of your research. Think of it as doing a research project on the main plot of your book. You will want to include sources and get as many as possible to make certain they agree with one another. There’s nothing worse than finding out what you were writing was only folklore or completely made-up stories. All kinds of information are on the web, including lies, so be careful. Your credibility’s at stake, so don’t state your reputation on unverified details. Even a fictional book needs to incorporate truth, so make sure you do this correctly.
Step six: the third draft, putting together the pieces
At this point forward, writing will be much more fun. Depending on how well you did your preparation work, this should go smoothly, until, of course, you find a plot point where you think of a better way to do something, forcing you to rewrite. Don’t cry! Remember, I told you that your draft was always strengthening? Consider your changes for the better. If there is a way to get from point A to Z with fewer problems, wouldn’t you prefer tearing up your road and then building a new one? Must I remind you of the bumpy road you were taking? Your jigsaw puzzle will take shape now. It should go fluid, and plot points will make better sense now. At this stage, you could send in a sample to a writing group to see if you are on the right track. Consider their criticism carefully and be willing to make changes as necessary. This is where you will start editing. No, you don’t have to have a major in English, but it won't hurt either. A good writing tool such as ProWritingAid will help a great deal. However, do not fall into the pitfall of using it as a crutch. It isn’t close to perfect. Using it as a tool, rather than your only source of grammar knowledge, is a recipe for disaster. Hum, speaking of recipes, I believe I will get that lasagna which has been begging to be eaten all day.
Step seven: the cover
At the end of your third draft, this will be a good place to plan your cover design. This is because you want to do this when you have a pretty good idea of what your book will be about. Unless you have a great deal of experience, consider spending money on a good cover artist. It will be the first thing a reader looks at and will make or break a connection. I can’t express enough how important this is. Avoid compromising on quality by using cheap work. You will not regret it in the end.
Step eight: the blurb
Here is another example of a make it or break it piece, your blurb. It is the all-important description which will peak a reader’s interest into the stratosphere. Why? Because you are self-publishing. You don’t have the resources or room to make errors at this point. Writers which have already carved their way into history may survive lazy writing, but you can’t. Think of it as your corner mascot who twirls a sign on a street corner getting people’s attention. If that person is lazy and bored, then so will readers think of your book. Make it around 100 words, and it should contain a point grabbing main idea, some interesting details about the plot and characters, and end with a statement that demands to read it. It should take the reader hostage, entrapping forever their attention until they purchase your book and set themselves up for the wonderful literature you are feeding them. I’m not joking here. Your blurb will either contain the knockout, or death blow, depending on how you do this. It can’t go too long, because writers have terrible attention spans. Nor can it be uninteresting, failing to grab attention. Do you see the narrow balance beam you’re on? It must be as close to perfect as you can make it.
Step nine-the final polish
Yes, you must do this part, unless you want to be burdened with regret after you reread it a year later. You don’t want this. Polish your writing by going through it at least another time. This is so you can dress your book in its best formal suit just waiting to impress your writers, which hopefully you would have since you would have started your marketing by now, right?
Step ten-formatting your book
Now that you have your final draft, the rest will be a breeze, right? Formatting your story, dressing it up so it looks presentable, instead of the ugly font and plain look of your Word document, is crucial. You don’t want it to look like a stack of papers from a loose leaf, do you? Fear not, this can be incredibly a breeze, depending on how you’ve set up your style’s menu in Word. You did this, right? Well, if you haven’t, this step will be problematic. This should include setting paragraph indents along with selecting your font. (Please, consider anything but using Times New Roman.) If you are using other software, please understand that this blog was about my experience. Though there are other software applications you can use, we will consider Word here.
So, once you have completed your journey, you should be able to make a book which would be capable of competing with the professionals. You could even call yourself one, since you have done just about everything yourself. By now you may wonder, what moron would want to go through all of this? It’s true, the bumpy road may be too much for you to handle, but the view at the end is incredible. Considering the truest measure of success isn’t about the number of books you sell; it’s about holding your finished masterpiece for the first time. Hearing from one of your customers how it helped someone cope with a life-threatening illness. Perhaps it made someone feel the unspeakable joy when they thumb through your book, unable to wait to read it. You’ve just proved to yourself and all the other doubters out there, you made something worthwhile, which will last beyond your years. Then, perhaps this end goal will be well worth the heartache.
Find my book series The Song of the Swan Here