where to start?

curtainpoles

id like to start writing a book, its a true story and i think it would make for very interesting reading. even if it was never published i think that it would be great to have it all written down to pass down to family etc.

trouble is i dont know where to start? i know once i get going ill not be able to stop but its just the first sentence i cant get it down....its a kind of biography sort of story so should i start with when the person was born or pick a certain point in there life and take it from there with a quick insight into where they came form etc

hope ye all 'get' me!

tmc86

If there was a very significant/life changing event in the life of that person you could maybe start there and then go back and start from the beginning detailing how the person eventually wound up at this event/decision etc.

darkestlord

Best thing is to write. And it should all come togeather. The hardest part for me is not where to begin but to get the time and motivation to write. Good luck.

EileenG

Pick something exciting and start with that. I wouldn't bother starting when they were born. Even if there was something exciting and significant about their birth, you can probably handle that better as a flashback than as a starting point.

Even if you are not planning to publish, you still want to tell a good story. That means concentrating on the interesting and exciting bits, and condensing or skipping the mundane stuff.

Marguerite Tonery

Maeve Binchy tends to write a program for the book, so that it is not 'lop-sided' as she would say. I think this is a good idea. I think there comes a point when writing a book that you need to realise for yourself that if you do not put some structure to it that it just gets lost down some alley way. Maybe try mind-mapping that is, sit with a blank piece of paper and just write down whatever word or phrase comes to your head. You will end up with a pattern and from that pattern you design your book. You will know exactly where to start and which direction to move before you reach the end.
Why not try it out!

Marguerite Tonery

Remember no one can tell you how to write your own book. That comes from you and your uniqueness. You have everything within you to produce a masterpiece - Go for it!

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I find myself writing very enthusiastically for about 20 minutes and then coming to a dead end as soon as I overt-think what I'm doing.

EileenG

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

I find myself writing very enthusiastically for about 20 minutes and then coming to a dead end as soon as I overt-think what I'm doing.

When you are writing, don't think. Set yourself a number of words you have to write in each session, and keep going until you reach that. Every often you surprise yourself when you write without having a set plan laid out for what you are going to write. Just write without censoring yourself. When the whole thing is written, you can go back and fix the bits that didn't work.

CD.

If I am writing something longer I tend to keep going until I run out of things to say. then leave it for awhile, though I find myself writing shorter pieces and then later on realise that I can add those and they fit perfectly.

Though generally, if I do not go back to it, it will sit there for maybe a year and a half, then I'll get a giant spurt and everything is there already and i end up finishing it in a few days.

I prefer the leave it and it gets done almost instantaniously route, but it takes longer than sitting down to do it and getting it out of the way.

One of the things you can do to help prevent it languishing is to have a rule where you add to it everyday, whether it's one word, a sentence or the next five thousand words. something, anything, will help keep it to the forefront of your mind. this works well if you find you are busy some days and free others, it gives you a chance to write without feeling guilty that you are not reaching x amount of words due to time constraints.

You should also try pick and mix different pieces of advice and see what mix is best for you because not everything will work for everyone. for example i can't plan out the novel in it's entirety. i have done it before, but then nothing gets done because there's no point. i already know what happens whereas if i just go for it with no real planning, I am suprised by what can come up.

Also, this might help as they are non-fiction writers
http://blogs.plos.org/neurotribes/2011/06/02/practical-tips-on-writing-a-book-from-22-brilliant-authors/

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

EileenG wrote: »

When you are writing, don't think. Set yourself a number of words you have to write in each session, and keep going until you reach that. Every often you surprise yourself when you write without having a set plan laid out for what you are going to write. Just write without censoring yourself. When the whole thing is written, you can go back and fix the bits that didn't work.

My problem is that I'm a very slow writer-even when I'm writing essays I take ages to choose the words I'll use. I must try this and hopefully it'll loosen me up and allow me to get something done. I'm fairly confident that what I'm working on at the moment has potential if I can stop over thinking it and just get on with writing it.

EileenG

Writing essays is a bit different, you are conscious that someone will be marking it, so you want to make it the best you can. When you are writing a story, the main thing is to write the story. Don't worry about if you are using the perfect or need to cull your adjectives, just slap it down and get it on paper. You can go back later and tidy it up.

bigsmokewriting

Start with a moment that interests you and go from there! Remember you can always go back and edit it later (for longer pieces of writing it's not unusual to make significant changes at the editing stages, if you're thinking about sharing it with people) but also remember that you don't necessarily need to write it all in order. Sometimes just writing lots of different scenes and snippets first of all, and then putting them all together later, is what works for people.

Good luck!

Antilles

bigsmokewriting wrote: »

Start with a moment that interests you and go from there!

That's what I've tended to do, though I saw someone reccomending that you start writing the less interesting bits first. You can build momentum from there when you get to the bits you're really looking forward to writing.

EileenG

Antilles wrote: »

That's what I've tended to do, though I saw someone reccomending that you start writing the less interesting bits first. You can build momentum from there when you get to the bits you're really looking forward to writing.

I would start with the interesting bits, and go from there. If you start with the boring bits, you'll bore yourself right out of finishing. I'm a huge believer in skipping over the boring bits, or compressing them down as much as possible.

niceview

You will have a way that works best for you, Curtainpoles, and you will need to find out what that is. It may take some time, but it'll be worth it when you do. As many others have suggested, I would recommend just getting words on the screen. As Anne Lamott put it, a "sh*tty first draft." No matter how bad you may think it is, or how indecisive you may feel, just keep plugging away at you own pace. Then, that magic moment when your finished, you read it and think, 'it's not bad.'

And then the fun really begins, the edits!

Mahberry

niceview wrote: »

You will have a way that works best for you, Curtainpoles, and you will need to find out what that is. It may take some time, but it'll be worth it when you do. As many others have suggested, I would recommend just getting words on the screen. As Anne Lamott put it, a "sh*tty first draft." No matter how bad you may think it is, or how indecisive you may feel, just keep plugging away at you own pace. Then, that magic moment when your finished, you read it and think, 'it's not bad.'

And then the fun really begins, the edits!

nice words ..... it is the best for beginner...