Learn How to Write a Book - It's Easier Then You Think

Anyone who has ever made a casserole or a flower bed or a piece of furniture knows that there are steps one has to learn in order to do a thing well. You have to know the materials you're working with, how to organize your thinking, how to pace your efforts, which steps to take first and which steps must follow. Well, it's no different when it comes to writing a book. Like any other craft, one has to learn the basics. But with the right guidance, you too can learn how to write a book.

Many aspiring writers yearn to become novelists. The world of fiction offers anyone the chance to bring his or her wildest imaginings to life. The novice novelist, however, needs to know the basic elements of writing fiction. Plot, character, setting, dialogue, descriptive language - these are the building blocks of the novel, and all of them must be learned. The trick is understand how these various elements fit together. Study the books you love. See how their authors set up their stories. See how they use dialogue to bring their characters to life. The answers are there, if you look for them. And fortunately there are many writers who are willing to share what they've already figured out with you.

If you're attracted to the world of non-fiction, the choices are many: self-help books, travel guides, spiritual guides, biographies, memoirs. The list is endless. The main difference between non-fiction and fiction is "voice." In a novel, the voice can belong to one or several of the characters, or to an omniscient narrator. In a non-fiction book, the voice is yours. Once you've identified your area of expertise - and what you want to say - you need to develop an engaging and authoritative voice with which you can write about it.

Whichever form you choose, there are basic elements to learn. You wouldn't sit down at a piano and expect to start playing a Chopin mazurka without any training. You wouldn't expect to begin carving a statue out of marble without knowing how to hold the chisel or visualize the form inside the stone. So you can't expect to sit down and start writing a book without help from those who've gone before you. If you're willing to get this help, however, and you're determined, you too can learn how to write a book.