How to write a book
Q. Hey Camille,
I know you hear this often, but I want to write a book! I have a basic premise, but I'm just not sure how to start. (I’m thinking of either a memoir or a novel.) I’ve tried to "just write," but I feel like I need a title and a voice in order to plunge ahead. Any advice?
—T.
A. Hi T,
I think everyone who wants to write a book should write one—so of course I’m going to tell you to go for it! It’s a life-changing experience, and I don’t say that lightly. It requires a level of perseverance, planning, and discipline that few other things do (parenting comes to mind). That said, there are certain steps you can take to make the process smoother.
You mention you have a premise, and that’s a great start. To take it a step further, consider writing a one-page synopsis. (A synopsis should read a lot like jacket copy.) The two things you want to capture in your synopsis are:
1. Who is your protagonist, and how do they change over the course of the book? (If you're writing a memoir, you're the protagonist.)
2. What happens to the protagonist that forces them to change? This is the heart of your plot. Ideally, the plot should be at odds with your protagonist’s personality or what they think they need (which is never what they actually need).
For example, the synopsis of my second novel, Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, is that a dyed-in-the-wool optimist is diagnosed with cancer on the same day her husband drops a bomb on their marriage—which causes her to ditch her rose-colored glasses (or so she thinks) in order to live out her final days in the Caribbean. She ultimately relies on her innate optimism to find the courage to get cancer treatment, but she still leaves the novel a different person than she entered it.
Notice that this answers both questions: who is the protagonist, and what happens to her? Now, if you’re like 99 percent of my coaching clients (and, ahem, me), your instinct is going to be to say to yourself, “I don’t know either of those things!” But what if you did know? Imagine you’re a reader. What would be fun or interesting to read? You have to start making decisions—and keep making them—in order to get the story down.
Then, pick a set time to write, even if it’s just 30 minutes a few days a week—and begin. For a first book, in particular, I find it’s best to write in a linear way, start to finish. Why? Because the reason most aspiring writers don’t get published is because they never finish their first draft. The fix: commit to writing as fast as you’re able. Once you’re done, you’ll go back and make your draft even better. But for now, your job is to finish. And no, you don’t need a title at this stage of the game, though odds are, you’ll come up with one as you’re writing.
As for voice: the only way to find yours is to write. But it may help to think of some of your favorite books. Do you want to write in a similar vein? Do you prefer first person or third person? Are you aiming for humor, heart, a happy ending? The wonderful thing about writing a book is that you get to choose.
Which brings me to my last bit of advice: above all, write the book you’d love to read. Though I’ve published seven novels, I’ve written 11. You know why the other four drafts didn’t sell? Because I wrote them with someone other than myself in mind. Now, you may be critical of your first book. You’re learning, after all, and odds are, your writing won’t be nearly as good as your taste—not yet, at least. But if you stick with it, and give yourself permission to write something perfectly imperfect, you’re taking the first—and arguably most important—step toward getting published.
—Camille