How Do I Start my Book? 📚 (Updated)

I will admit that there is a lot of time and effort involved in writing a book. However once broken down into small, manageable tasks, it isn't so bad. Of course, it also has to be something you enjoy, or you'll be stuck with writer's block, find excuses not to work on it, or probably toss it aside altogether.

So let's begin!

Your tenth-grade creative writing teacher probably told you to outline everything before you start writing, but I disagree. For me, this would never work. There has to be a certain amount of spontaneity involved to keep things fresh and exciting. If you can easily plot out the chapters and figure out the ending before getting past chapter one, chances are your reader will too. Remember, readers are very savvy and automatically try to figure things out as soon as they pick up a book. If you have no idea what's going to happen until you're typing it, chances are they will be just as surprised.

Not to say you shouldn't jot down ideas, but I wouldn't bother organizing right away. You can picture specific scenes, conversations, events and know they will fit in somewhere; you don't have to know just where yet. You should follow the natural flow of the story and consider the characters. How will each action affect them? What is their unique path or struggle? How does it fit in with the rest of the story?

Of course, I'm talking about fiction, but what about non-fiction? Are the rules the same?

I'd probably have an outline for something that falls under the non-fiction category but with room to breathe. You want to see how the book flows and which angle it takes. Make sure it is factual, and be ready to list any sources you might be using. Remember, you don't want to get sued.

Regardless of what you write, the first draft should be fun. Editing is another story. Let's not go there today. ☺️