#author struggles

[winksasleeplesseye]

writing, in theory: fun

writing, in practice: [unintelligible noises] [sobs] [maniacal laughter] [screams]

[2soulscollide]

Write your book STEP BY STEP

hello hello, it's me again!

today i'm bringing you a step-by-step / checklist to finally get your book done. i know it can be a bit complicated to put everything together to make your idea come to life (you're definitely not alone!)

that's why i compiled some tips and made this post, in hopes to help some author out there :D

let's get started.

PREMISE

assuming you already have a good idea in mind, you should start by writing a premise. to help you with that, try to answer these questions:

who is the main character?

what are their goals?

which troubles will they face / what's stopping them from achieving their goals?

do they have an opponent? if so, who?

now that you know the answers to these questions, it's time to write the premise. the premise consists in a sentence that summarizes your whole idea.

PLOT OUTLINE

there are infinite ways to plot your story. you can do it by writing down ideas and linking them together, following a scheme, or any other method.

the most common plot outlines are these:

synopsis outline: one to two pages, where you hit all the major beats of the story

in-depth outline: outline each chapter/scene

snowflake method: develop the premise into a bigger paragraph, and that paragraph into a page (etc.) until you have the whole outline of your story

booken method: plot the start and end of the story, and the main characters

the novel factory created plot sheets for free, and you can choose from eight different templates. you might want to check it out!

KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS

having your outline defined, you should start developing your characters now. the main character's profile might be more detailed than the others, however, it's up to you. there are many character sheets out there on the internet that will help you create flawless characters.

i have a post with resources that might be helpful when creating a character, check it out!

and here you have some prompts and sheets to create a character:

Quick Character Creator - EA Deverell

Extremely detailed character sheet template - @hawkasss

The Best Character Template Ever - Dabble

Character Twenty Questions Worksheet - The Writers Circle

at this point, you should also define the narrator's voice, tone, etc, as well as the pace of your novel.

LOCATIONS

define the principal locations of your story, the settings, and where the story is taking place. it's important to know how the environment looks, and how your characters feel about it.

for this part, you might find it useful to do some research about some locations, if you're not familiar with them. find inspiration on Pinterest, Tumblr, or even on books, paintings, and art. everything is valid.

if your story takes place in a fantasy environment, you might need to fill out a template to create it or write down the way you imagine it to be. try to get as many details as possible, so there are no holes when developing the novel.

SUBPLOTS

you might want to give more depth to your novel by developing a subplot (or more than one). make sure it doesn't get too confusing or that doesn't take the focus away from the main action.

the subplot can be a romance, another character's relationship, a character's arc, a backstory, etc. this will make your story more real and 3D, more realistic.

develop it as a side story and mix it with the principal plot but don't make it as important as the main story, otherwise, none of the plots will make an impact.

SYNOPSIS

write a synopsis as long as you wish, covering every important part of the story. this will help you to really know your idea, and have a solid structure for it. it can range from 500 to 2,500 words, but you don't have to restrict yourself to a number.

things the synopsis should cover:

the status quo

the complication

initial challenges

midpoint

further challenges

the low point

the climax

the resolution

DRAFT

and we get to the best part which is writing! now that you know everything about your story, characters, locations, and scenes, all you have to do is to put all that together in words. don't feel pressured to make everything look perfect already, just write what comes to your mind. if you have a new idea for the plot, good, write it down! if this character doesn't make sense anymore, okay, get rid of them. just go with the flow, following the structure you've planned, and everything starts to come to life.

i know it's so tempting to go back, read what you wrote, and start editing and polishing, but trust me, don't do that! it's a waste of time, and you will take so much more time to finish your first draft. in fact, i've given up on so many stories because of that...

just when you finish the first draft, you will re-read everything and start editing, fixing plot holes, changing what doesn't fit well, etc. but for now, just write, get the first draft done. enjoy the process, don't rush.

thanks for reading!

i hope this post was helpful!

also, you might be interested in this free workbook with over 90 pages and many exercises! check it out here: THE WRITER'S WORKBOOK

resources for this post:

How to Choose a Plot Outline Method: 4 Techniques for Outlining Novels

How to Write a Novel: A Step-by-Step Guide

[vivid-ink]

Just finished writing Part 4 of The Love Shack. I've spent all day finishing it off and tomorrow morning I'll edit, proof-read and post it. It's 11pm where I am and I can finally go to sleep in peace knowing it's done. 😪 This chapter has fought me at every turn for some strange reason. It's sitting at 15k words currently (Lord I don't know how) and I'm not completely happy with it. I'll trim it down tomorrow and hopefully get it to a point where I'm at least content, if not happy, with it. Really hoping it's not going to be a letdown. 😔

[peppermintquartz]

Publicity Thing for my novel

i wrote a book once and self published it. It's called The Kaedin Secret and looks like this. it is a fantasy with a romance and attempted murder, with some guys in a uni and a secret (several, actually)

i'm writing its sequel (in fits and spurts - my brain is not cooperating properly) and i'm really needing the motivation to keep at it.

it would be very encouraging for you - any of you, all of you - to buy it either as a paperback or on Kindle and give it a try.

it's $9.99 now instead of the original price of $16.

if you like it, drop me a good amazon review. if you don't like it, please donate to your local library or to someone you think may like stuff like that.

thanks.

yours sincerely,

AK

(someone who is very tired of having to do stuff not related to writing my book)

[haley-lana]

[wordnerdsworld]

writing a second draft

a one sentence horror story for all the authors out there

[yellowguysautism]

i want to write stuff but then i never know what to write and then i think it wont be good and wont be read/sold and then i dont write

[moondvncer]

"spammed like on your works" bestie hit the reblog button on that shit otherwise stop complaining that authors don't post anymore/ don't update their works, it really is that simple

[halfblood-princes-crown]

Being a writer is all fun in games until someone goes through your search history

[littlelcvestory]

writing 600 words for a school assignment: oh my god. that was torture. so many words i had to bullshit that paper. none of this makes sense.

writing 600 words for a fanfiction: aw 🥰🥹 its so small 🥰🥰🥹 so short and bitesized 🥹🥰 its not long enough.

[2soulscollide]

[FREE] Notion Template for WRITERS

hello hello, it's me again!

as you can read in the title, today I'm bringing you a FREE notion template where you can organize all your writing!

i've posted two of these before, however, I think this one is way better and more aesthetic. for now, I've picked the dark academia theme, but I'm thinking of bringing other versions of it such as cottage core, light academia, etc.

the real question is, what is inside the template?

main dashboard with a wide view of your novels, inspo, ideas, and resources you save to read later. also, there's a side column with your info and social media, where you can manage your follower count and see your growth!

novel management: a full menu with everything you need to write your novel (brainstorm, plot, synopsis, characters, scenes, world building and, of course, writing)

to-do list

playlist

gallery view of your characters

word count

snowflake method

character building template

let's see the template

(don't worry, you'll get the empty version)

get your template here!

[boookfreeak]

do I have three seperate fan fictions that I've been working on for 2 years on-and-off still unfinished? yes

did I also just finish a klance oneshot in three days that came out of nowhere? yes.

yes, I did.

[rapono-writes-stuff]

Me when there's not enough hurt/comfort of my blorbos:

[haley-lana]

[teacup-captor]

Yesterday when I was writing my fic suddenly Sherlock and John were having some moments like.

Listen,

LISTEN

I didn't write Sherlock being head over heels for John he just started doing it on his own okay???????

[sleepy-writes-stuff]

I just spent the last three hours panicking over some unposted fanfic chapters I accidentally deleted while trying to transfer them to a different location. I tried at least five different things to fix it, holy crap.

They have since been safely recovered tho, but it is now way past midnight and I feel tingly from the anxiety slowly leaving my body. Or that could just be my soul. Either way, I'm exhausted.

The things I do for fanfiction. Jeez.