I Think I'd Like to Write a Book

Can you tell me where to start?

That's a common question. One I get asked all the time.

The answer is surprisingly simple: Start anywhere.

Yes, just like Dorothy and the Yellow Brick Road, all roads lead to the finished product. You see, you don't have to make a firm commitment to your beginning. You just need to begin. Start somewhere, start writing, sit back and think about how it's going. You may decide later to change the beginning. That's normal. In fact, that's good. I just read about how Nancy Pickard changed the start of her marvelous The Virgin of Small Plains. After working on her book, she decided she needed to show her main character in such a way that you knew everything you needed to know about what motivated the protagonist. But here's the point: That's not how she began the book originally.

Let me be more blunt...Worrying about where to start is really a procrastination device. It keeps you from starting. So, ditch that excuse. Sit down and start writing. Then re-assess. Start over, or start anew, or keep going until a better beginning appears. That often happens. As you get to know your work, you'll be better able to "see" that perfect start.

But that will never happen unless you begin writing SOMEWHERE.

I've Always Wanted to Write a Book--Can You Tell Me How?

A doctor asked me this at a cocktail party.

I had to bite back my initial response. Because I know that what I'm going to say is going to sound, well, peevish. Not very nice. Defensive.

But here goes:

Here was a man who had been through, what? At least five years of medical school? How long as an intern? And he was asking me to tell him over a drink how to write a book.

You see, people assume that since they've written term papers, or short articles for a company newsletter, or a piece for the professional journal, that they can write. And they can. But to write a book is NOT the type of activity one person can explain to another over a casual conversation. In fact, excuse me, but I always find my hackles rising. (Okay, I don't mean to sound nasty, probably what I am is...HURT. Do you really think that what I've done is so trivial or easy that I can tell you how in the space of a cocktail conversation?)

You see, I've been writing my entire life. This is--and has always been--my profession. My career. When people ask, "How long did it take you to write Paper, Scissors, Death?" I tell them 55 years. It's the culmination of a life's work. I have a degree in journalism. I worked 40 hours a week to put myself through journalism school. I taught writing, wrote columns for the local daily newspaper, and for the campus publications while I was still in college. I have always worked in some aspect of the profession. I've always done freelance work in addition to a regular job. Currently, I put in 60 hours + a week writing. I've worn the letters off of 3 keyboards, and finally, I've just decided that I don't need the letters, I know where they are, so why replace the keyboard? And I've taken classes, read books, gone to conferences, been part of critique groups, and continuously upgraded my skills for my entire life. I re-wrote Paper, Scissors, Death four times after it was accepted. I've written fourteen books now. I've written for magazines, television, newspaper, online publications, radio, and advertising. I've written speeches for corporate executives. I've served a long apprenticeship.

And this doctor wants me to capsulize all that work, all that effort into, what? A Reader's Digest version of my life's work?

I could just as easily ask him how he opens a person's chest, operates on a heart, and walks away leaving a newly healthy patient!

All this reminds me of the old joke: A visitor to New York walks up to another man and asks, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" And the New Yorker says, "Practice, practice, practice."

Which is what all this has been for me: Practice.

Just as that doctor practiced his profession. Just as he went to school. Just as he read the medical journals. Just as he studied under the finest teachers. Just as he paid his dues, I've paid mine.

So, I can't explain how to do this in 15 minutes, an hour, or even an evening.

What I can do is suggest some reading material--and if the doctor, or anyone else, REALLY, REALLY wants to know how to write, he/she will take the time to read all this:

* Plot & Structure by Bell
* Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
* Write Away by Elizabeth George
* Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
* Seven Steps on the Writer's Path by Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott
* Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Brown and King
* Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Zuckerman
* Guide to Writing Fiction by Phyllis A. Whitney
* Writing the Modern Mystery by Norville
* How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson

And I'll post more some other time. You see, these are just the books I have within arm's reach.

Like I said, I've been doing this for years. My library alone proves that!