You've come up with a great idea for a book. The temptation is to plough straight into writing it. This might work for some, however, for most it is advisable to first work out some structure. The approach that I recommend is as follows:

1) Write down the basics of your idea. Normally, this will be one or two pages written whilst the inspiration of that initial idea is fresh in your mind.

2) Take a step back and consider the idea that you've come up with. Is it original, or does it have an angle that can help to differentiate your book?

3) Summarise the basics on the story in one sentence. What is the hook, or unique selling point, of your story? If you don't decide on this early on, there's a danger that you will go off tangent and end up with a waffly story that feels like it hasn't been thought out.

4) Write a skeletal plan. You don't need chapter titles or a detailed breakdown of the story at this stage, but you do need to have a rough plan for how your story is going to unfold and what are going to be the key developments and tensions underlying the novel. You might also want to flesh out your key characters a bit as well. What are their motivations and what are the dramatic tensions that exist in their lives.

5) Start writing. Incidentally, you don't need to start with chapter one. If you have a strong idea for how you want a particular part of your story to read, then start with it and then slot in the rest of the plot.

The other thing I would stress is that most writers start the story far too early. By this I mean that we get a lengthy preamble before we get to the first serious dramatic tension. A literary agent may not bother to read as far as page 50 and will miss the incredible fight scene that you've written. You can always provide the background that led to the fight at a later point, if it's truly relevant to the telling of the story.

6) Stay writing. I think this is the hardest part. You've got your idea, you write the first couple of chapters on your initial enthusiasm, and then you have to maintain the momentum. I think the advice I would give is to try to write a bit each night and plough on with the story even if you're not 100% happy with a particular section or chapter. You will be going back to edit the chapters anyway, so get the story finished and then smooth out the rough edges.

Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
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