Is your book idea good? (Yes, I promise)
“If you write for yourself, you’ll always have an audience.” -Bruce Springsteen
“We can secure other people’s approval if we do right and try hard; but our own is worth a hundred of it, and no way has been found out of securing that.” – Mark Twain
It will take many hours to write a book. Therefore, you should write about something you, the writer, finds interesting. Why not please yourself?
“Will anyone care about my story?” people ask. Yes – you. It starts with you. Many people with an idea want an authority to tell them their idea is worthy. Why is approval necessary? You are the one who is going to do all the work. No matter what support you get, or don’t, it will still be you that must put in many hours. If you think you want to write a book, than do it. I think you should, simply because you are thinking about it.
However, if you want a guarantee that you will sell thousands of copies, that’s a marketing problem, not a writing problem. You solve a marketing problem by studying how to market and sell books, which is a different skill from writing them. If you want a guarantee that you’ll be famous, that’s an ego problem, and also has little to do with writing. Writing is just a kind of work. Only you can decide you care enough about your idea to do the (writing) work required.
If you think your story can help people, that’s excellent. But it’s unlikely that you’d be the first to write about:
- Being a recovering drug addict
- Surviving divorce
- Starting a successful company
- Learning a major life lesson the hard/easy/fun way
- Or whatever story, fictional or true, you want to write about
If you primarily want to help people, a far easier way is to find good books that already exist and convince more people to read them. The authors of those books will be grateful, and the readers who connect with them will be too. Writing a book yourself is the long way to go in helping other people.
If you’re thinking of writing, do some homework: does a book like yours exist? It probably does. The question then is: how is your story is different? Or can you tell a similar story in a better way? Or aimed at a different audience? You’ll be a better writer if you become a better reader first. But of course independent of what others have done, you can decide you want to write your book anyway. You’ll learn much about yourself if you do. It’s an excellent investment of time, but only if you think it is too.
I say don’t wait for permission. Permission on creative matters is for cowards. Just write a draft of a single chapter and see what happens. Maybe it will be awful. Maybe wonderful. Who knows? No one. Not until you get off your ass and make the thing. Writing is easy bravery. No lives are at stake. You’re not doing heart surgery or charging across flaming trenches. Pick up the pen, go to the keyboard, and use your words. No one will see but you – why be afraid of yourself? If you care about the idea for the book, do it. If you find it worthwhile or meaningful, that’s enough. Your idea is good because it’s yours, and it means something to you.
If in the end only one other person on the planet gets value from what you make, that alone justifies your efforts. That person might be a close friend, a distant stranger, or possibly even yourself, years later, when you rediscover this amazing thing you made, amazing simply because you made it. Your book idea is good because it’s yours. Whatever it is it’s good enough to be the book that you write. If an idea lingers in your mind, and won’t leave you alone, just do it. The only chance for sanity is to get the idea out of your mind and down on paper or on a screen.
If you think the story should be told, whether it’s yours, your Mom’s, or your imaginary friend Rupert’s, you are the only person in the world capable of telling it in the way you have it in your mind. Fiction, non-fiction, memoir, fantasy, a play, a novella, a blog, first person, third, a third person fantasy novella about Smurf memoirs, who cares? Form is a distraction. Certainly at first, and maybe always.
“All fiction is derivative, a fact that the good writer turns to his advantage, making the most of reader’s expectations, twisting old conventions, satisfying expectations in unexpected ways. “ – John Gardner, The Art of Fiction
So what if your idea is not original. The last 2000 years of literature is mostly borrowed from Sophocles and his buddies, or Shakespeare, or the ancient myths. It’s clear the telling of the tale can be more potent than the tale itself. And for those ignorant of the books you’ve read, your story, however trite to you, might just blow their mind.
Don’t pester others for validation before you’ve written a word. Instead ask them to support your excitement and passion, for they can do that no matter how little sense your idea makes to them. Feedback? Sure. But feedback on an idea is mostly worthless. What confirmation do you need, or could you possibly get, for your own interest in an idea? The only way to know if an idea is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is to do something with it.
And if you make it, and others don’t like it, you’re in good company. No author or artist has made something everyone likes. And for many authors and artists their friends were their only fans in their lifetimes.
Ideas can seem to tease us in our minds – they hover out of reach, too far for mere thinking to knock them on their ass. It’s only the act of making an idea real, through writing, drawing, filming or other manifested work that we pin ideas down long enough to discover what they can or cannot be in the world. Many will crumble. Some will disappoint. Some might need to linger again in our minds, for weeks or years. But the glory is that in every attempt there are new seeds to plant elsewhere. There is always more. People who never make anything don’t know this, but there is always more. You lose nothing by making. If your idea fades, before it disappears it will help you find others.
It’s only through effort that we learn what an idea actually is, and if our passion for it will last or fade. There is no shame in failure – all makers fail. But it’s hard to respect someone who never tries, even once, to do something good that’s always on their mind. If you’re worried about how good your idea is, you’re worrying about the wrong thing.
Get started. It’s the only way. If this essay doesn’t get convince you, and yet you keep thinking about writing, this might explain why.
Or if you want to begin, go here.
[edited 12-5-15]
hey i have an idea about a book but i don’t think the topic is very good i asked some people if it was good but i don’t really care about their opinions i really only want to know the opinion of a real author! here it is: there is this girl she is 14 and she has a brother and a sister and a boyfreind her and her siblings are orphans one day while she is on a date with her boyfreind justin she goes skatingbut when she returns from her date with justin she walks back to the orphanage only to find it nothing but a burnt shell of what it used to be when she goes closer to make sure she isnt seeing things she discovers that there is a pounding at the cellar door which is outside she maneges to bust the lock and open it to find all the other children who live at the orphanage along with the kitchen staff and the head mistress but her siblings are no where to be found! she then begins to hunt down who has taken her family after the police refuse to help her. along her way to find the kidnappers she finds her long lost father who she despises for abandoning her and along the way her boyfreind decides that he has put her in grave peril by not helping her and leaving her on her ownso he starts to track her down and helps her for a while only to be murdered along the way she then mournes but keeps going this is all i have so far! i really want to know whst you think!
“Permission on creative matters is for cowards”
please read and just let me know…
Ive always loved to read… and ive always wanted to write about my mothers life because it is one of a kind… to me her stories of abuse, loneliness and how much she had to go through to have a normal life just takes my breath away… the only problem is that she has never wanted to open herself to me and never really wanted to completely let me in her past… but then again, i would think that my life is just as much interesting as well, i am relatively young and have seen the whole world in my hands. i have seen, felt and gone through what nobody my age has. from the death of my best friend in middle school, my wonderful friends to losing a fight with cancer with my first love and high school sweet heart, when his whole family was in jail and i was there till the end doing a wife’s job because i loved him and took care of him unconditionally when teens my age should be in their high school prom. To being out in the world without anybody; then to another love fighting for me against all odds to winning my love and proposing… only to cheat, deceive, and lie after i gave him a home, a car and a job and fought with him against every obstacle that life lay in front of us, to him never speaking to his family because of drugs to trying to find his daughter that was being kept away… only to him out of the blue just letting me know that he just fell out of love and it was all a lie during the years that we were together.. and that is only my beginning….
i really appreciate if anybody takes the time to read and reply if anybody finds it even the slightest interest in it.
That is very sad and interesting. I think it would make a wonderful book. Sorry you have faced so many troubles and I hope the fates are nice to you now.
i think that would make a wonderful story. I woulsd be one of the first people to read it PLEASE let me know when its published by my email! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!
sobiasushi201025@hotmail.com
^i love sushi :) i hope your future takes a different road to the bright side of the world.
I have just turned 12 and my passion for writing is growing by the minute. I have had many ideas but don’t know whether I should write them down. I have been writing since I was young. I wrote many journals and have come up with many ideas for books. But I have a question… I have read many different types of books and have come up with many ideas but I just don’t know which one to choose. Also I am pretty good at drawing and was thinking of a manga but couldn’t decide if I was capable of writing one properly or if I should just put the story in words and just make it a chapter book.
I would appreciate your help or any other people’s ideas on how I could solve this problem.
Thanks! :)
sounds like a good story might be a bit sad, I think it needs a light at the end of the tunnel.
I find what is written here really inspiring. That’s exactly what’s been going on in my head lately. I woke up from a horrible dream the other night and I couldn’t stop thinking about what a wonderful idea for a book it was and how I’ve been itching to write about it lately. I know now what i must do. thanks.
This is great! I was a little skeptical about starting to write my book. I’m 22 years old and I don’t have to much experience writing.. just a few school papers. But I know that what I have in my mind I have to let the world know. I know it will be amazing. Thankyou. this helped a lot. And I wish all the brew authors and old the best of luck.
I really love to read appropriate romance novels and I want to write so bad. So, I had a dream the other night and I decided that it would be a great romance novel so I am starting now
You know, I’m glad you didn’t say “Write something that has real meaning for you, and it’ll have meaning for others, meaning, meaning, meaning….”
Honestly, I hate having to look for meaning in a story. My story is just a story. I don’t want to have to make people think “I too have had little sister problems, but in the end I leanred I love her anyway! Yay! Meaning!” I want to be able to write fun stuff, and honestly, if fun stuff for me means explosions and karate for 60,000 words, then fine. Doesn’t mean I have to get that story published.
But I hate it when people tell you your story has to have meaning. I think that even the most mindless stories can have meaning when viewed from the right angle.
This comment isn’t really going anywhere, is it? It’s more of a mindless rant that anything else. Oh well. At least it has MEANING! xD
But you’ve written some pretty good stuff here. I’m an avid writer and though I haven’t finished any novels yet, I hope to soon.
the book i’m writing, about a teenage guy and his wacky family and failure of a ‘love life’ has a very important meaning. the meaning of the story is not to leave roller skates and dildo’s on the floor because this can lead to an unfortunate accident which hospitalises the protaganist and gets him the kind of reputation teenagers are keen to avoid.
When I was only 10, I knew I had to write. I did write, journals, so I wrote many journals for many years.mostly in code. They were thrown out eventually..but I remember it all.
What was going on around me, had to be kept silent, written in code on the calendar.
I became a very clever survior, but lost myself at the same time.
In my mind always imagined my self being interviewed about my latest book. Writing then seemed uncontrolable, but then I had to stop, beause code language stopped working.
People put me on medication to stop my mouth from speaking. I had to pretend abuse did not exisit. I was 10. Medication lasted a coupl of years, until I learned to conform to the blindness around me.
Now I am 52. Words are bursting to get out, my story for many reasons needs to be told. Now I finally feel free enough, and dont care as much, not nearly about who is hurt or who has to wake up and see my childhood.
It is a story of hurt, pain and a long road. It is also a story of courage for several little girls. A dead end for one and for myself, the lucky one really, a story of an amazing life.
I will write this story, I am interested in hearing if anyone would be interested in reading it.
Its terrible what you must have gone through.Its amazing that you are able to move past all of it and tell what sounds like a wonderful story.Im up for reading anything that has to do with hardship.I really hope you keep writing.
Hello dude!
I am fourteen years old and in seven short months i will finish my novel that i have worked two years to make.
Enough about me.
Yes i would love to read your book please contact me at Callummason1997@yahoo.co.uk
I am looking forward to hearing from you!
I would love to read it!
Our stories may be similar…I would love to read your story!
Me. I would love to read it.
come out of yes virginia i will be more than intrested in reading it. Great novels come out of great and novel idea.What you said here makes one take notice. I have read about 20 comments on this post and yours forced me to reply. I am not someone exceptional and there would be be million like me. so you have millions reader who would be intrested in reading your book. Ever read fountainhead by ayn rand. Fabulous book and if the author would have asked some one when her her plot was raw he would have said that the plot does not make sense. The book is a classic now. I hope you write your book and let me know when it is published my email id solomonaequitas@gmail.com
I have a fantastic Idea. In 1961 My sister and I where abandoned in a car and left to die. My parents left birth Certificates in glove box. This made national News. My sister and I where adopted after we where taken away from our parents. I lived about 4 years in bliss and my adopted mother passed away….My sister and I where raised by my father. My life has had many trials. I was exposed to every kind of evil yet I triumped I have a very interesting story. I was one of the First Women to Be apart of the Presidential Honor Guard in the Reagan era. I over came physical handicap, mental handicap ect.
The only problem is I dont know how to get started. My life will help someone if not millions. Your advise is wanted. For all intensive purposes I should be dead, a drug addict or in a mental institution. I have my own business and want to serve others.
Hi, I agree. Totally completely. I’ve read a few of your other posts and stuff and I really liked them. So here’s the thing (isn’t there always one?), I’m a high school student. I’ve wanted since the fifth grade to become a writer. I write frequently, on a variety of things (poems, short stories, etc), but there’s one thing that’s always… nagging me. I’ve been trying to write a book, for some time now. I usually work 1 to 2 hours a day at home during the week (longer on the weekend) on it, but there’s one thing holding me back.
I have a lot of distractions.
I’ll be writing the book, right? I’ll be five or six chapters in, roughly 75 pages is my record, all of which will be roughly edited, mostly revived, and then I start feeling really… bored with it. It’s not like that at the start. When I start I’m totally energized. Can’t get it out of my head. My fingers itch and twitch to write it down all day, but then eventually the story just ends up dying and then my fingers will itch and twitch for a new story.
I’ve tried doing 2 stories at one time (doesn’t work), tried roughing through it (writing turns out bad and uninspired), but nothing seems to work.
I believe it’s called writer’s block.
Maybe writer’s distracting would be better, though.
Any thoughts that might help me? Please?
Hi my name is Zane Ridley i am 24.
I am not a massive reader and have only got into reading in the last few years.
I could never get into books because they could not capture my attention or hold it, its only been in the last couple of years that my partner has told me to get into reading stuff that interest’s me and that i can relate to.
Since taking her advice i have read quite a few books and am really enjoying it. (i still find it a bit hard to focus and finish some books at times.)
So my idea for a book has been inspired from my life exsperiences and mainly my upbringing and school life.
Mainly what pushed me to really want to do this is that sinking sad feeling after coming home from holidays and prepairing to go back to my boring, mundayne and somewhat very normal working life.
possible book title “I’m young and normal but i want be rich now! Is that bad?”
Basically i have grown up in a country town living a very normal life doing very normal jobs and going to very normal schools.
I have gone through my life to this point doing very normal stuff like playing sports for my local clubs, going out on weekends with my friends and basically doing what everyone else in my town does, sometimes i just feel as though living in my town is like living in a fishbowl!
I work were alot of people in my town work, i play football like alot of people in my town do, most of my friends are builders and plumbers like alot of people in my town are..
Most of the people i know earn reasonable honest wages and have lived in my town all their lives, but is there more to life??
Can a normal 24 year old person with a normal job and normal to average schooling history break the cycle and get out of the fish bowl??
Can i really make somthing of myself? Am i destined for more?? and perhaps even maybe become very sucessfull and have people want to read about my very normal life??
Well this is why i want people to read my book and come with me on a journey to see if a normal knowbody like myself, who didnt do very well at school can break the mould of a normal quiet country lifestyle and make it somewhere in this big wide world!
I believe this would capture so many peoples attention because so many people can relate.. Im not already rich! Im not famous! I wasnt excellent at school! Im not out of my mundayne shift work job!
Im still going through it and trying my best to make the best of myself and invest my moey at young age.
So perhaps this young man with a very normal job and average school past can possibly make the best of myself in the future! Is it possible?? I hope so, so one day i can be coming home from holidays and feel so good about what i have achieved and where i have come from for a normal knowbody who probably wasnt destined to do anything special in life!
Dont get me wrong i havnt had a bad life, but i believe school systems are not set up for people like myself..
People who are not destined to go to university, people who can not sit in a box all day and read textbooks and look at a blackboard, not being taught anything about the real world like they should be!
I believe because of the way school systems are setup people like me are failed, people who are free thinkers, passionate and creative! people like me are failed and end up dropping out of school, like i did!
Thus creating limited opportunities to further yourself and limiting your career choices and once again leaving you to live your fishbowl life in your fishbowl town!
I want to break this! I may not have been the best textbook school student, but i know i am smart young and passionate and want to be sucessfull and rich now! Is that so wrong!
Join me and see if it is possible and hopfully whenever you have to go back to work you are happy because it is not somthing you have to do beacuse “that is all your schooling shows you are capable of”
It is a job you enjoy and are passionate about.
I hope this makes sense somewhat, like i said i am not the best academic but this is a subject i am passionate about and i believe it would relate to so many people around the world.
Do you think this could make a good book that people could relate to and would like to read?
Thankyou very much
Zane Ridley
It sounds like you have a good story. I just started my book, true story about a Doctor who was responsible for death of my lil brother, what he did to me and so on. I really don’t have a clue how to write a book, just very important regarding respect to my brother. I won’t disclose what he did to me, his license is revoked. If you could help me in anyway, would greatly appreciate it.
Regarding your story, if you know how to write a book, then definitely write it, sad what you went through, I can relate a little on that topic, thanks for letting me share
I would like to write a book about being picked on,envy from early childhood,teens,adulthood.
I had a dream a few years ago that I had a disease which would eventually make me invisible. I want to write about this. ..but I’m not sure how. Any ideas?
How exactly would that work? Is it more fantasy or science fiction?
Just want to say thanks for ageeing with the voice in my mind. You pretty much said everything I thought to myself before I decided a little advice/research on writing itself wouldn’t hurt. I appreciate your honesty.
ok so i’m in the middle of writing a book and when I went to write the next sentance I didnt know what to write.
Hello everyone, my name is elysia and I have been contemplating writing a book for years. I finally decided to just do it. I have what i think is a good idea for a book. Alot of people i meet who know me, agree that my story would be one they would read, but who knows if they are just being nice. So here it is, be honest! I want to write a book some what about me with a made up person, and alot of made up events. A young girl growing up with immense problems. Start the story around age 13, dealing with trying to fit in, find purpose in life, boys, drugs, drinking, family ect. Goes on to work crappy random jobs, struggling in college, eventually ends up working at a hooters, a beautiful messed up girl. Long story short, gets fired from hooters, messed up, and impulsively joins the army. Becomes a combat medic, deploys to afghanistan. So basically base the story around the military and follows a young woman through her military experience as a medic in and out of war. This is a terrible rough idea of what i want to write about. You tell me is there something there?
Love, love, love this post!! It was exactly what I needed!!! I have had this idea floating around in my head for over eight years now. I even wrote a third of it once. But I keep letting go of it because I’m afraid other people will think it’s stupid! I can’t let go of it because, to ME, it’s just so FUN! I want to see what happens with it! This post essentially gave me permission to start writing without getting anyone’s permission! LOL I love it! Beautiful. Thank you for this post. It was a gift. :)
Now this post made me smile a lot while reading it but I have another question for you :)
When you get an idea like lets say I want to write a book about witches because I just read a book about witches, does that mean I am stealing that persons idea? I stop myself from writing a lot of things just because of it. Write now I have this great idea from a book I just read about magic. Except with in this book of magic a side character who is a certain type of specie. So, I was like” I should write about a character about with that type of specie!” Once again I stopped myself because I thought it was stealing. If I don’t want someone stealing my ideas why would I steal somebody’s idea? Now my question to you is: With all this information, is this idea stealing?
I know this is an older post, but I felt the need to respond. If you look at most of the fantasy literature or fiction that is out right now, most of them are very similar. So no reading about “Witches” then wanting to write about them is not stealing, unless you use the same settings, story, characters, etc as the other author.
As far as the idea of writing about a species.. then I would have to say if this species was created by the original author and you expand on their creation then yes this is also stealing.
Do not be afriad to brainstorm! It’s part of the creative process!
-Todd
I’ve had this idea about writing a book for several years now. It continues to linger in my head every day. I’m going to just do it (start writing). If other people can be succussful at this, so can I.
I just wanted to let you know that this post really boosted my writing confidence. You are completely right; this book is mine, I wrote it, and forget what anyone else thinks. I love to write, therefore I write. I need to stop wondering if anyone else is going to like it and just ENJOY writing! Who cares if it stinks? Everything I make stinks! But I enjoyed it, so whatever ;)
Over the last 5 or 6 years of my random ass life it seems almost everyone I have spent any amount of time around has told me I should write a book about my life. They hear my stories and assume a book full of weird funny adventures would be good. But I don’t see how I could write a book with all that without tying it together with the not so funny and less adventurous middle bits. The parts that actually make me me and not just some ridiculous character that bounces around the world without a care in the world. Sadly most people have no interest in that side of me and tend to avoid me when I am in those periods of my life.
What everyone wants is a collection of insane adventures but what I would want would be something that not only has a collection of insane adventures but also the not so funny and sometimes just plain sad truth that comes in between.
I guess I don’t need to know what the finished product will be when I start…I should just start.
Now I’m not exactly the person with the big imagination, but my dad was in the army and was diagnosed with PTSD. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and for a while I’ve been wanting to tell his story but I always thought I would be laughed at. I just really need to hear it from someone… Does it sound like a terrible idea, because I would just like to know…
I think that is a great idea. Sometimes, people just need a heart-warming story to make them realize that they should be very great full for what they have. I personally, ABSOLUTELY, love the idea. No one would laugh. I have read many books like that -about tragic stories- and I personally love them. They engage the readers and they feel the pain or sadness the main character is feeling. I would be one of the first people to read your wonderful book. Just tell me what you are going to call it. Here are some of the terrific sad stories I read:
The Hunger Games
Wringer
Home Truths
etc
I think it is a great idea! PTSD is a hot topic. And people always want to hear stories of our veterans!!!
Thank you so much for this article. I’ve been writing a fantasy novel and have been struggling to decide if I should continue with it. I’m going to take your advice to just write and edit later, and not to be afraid that it is going to totally suck.
i wouldnt stop writing.I did once,then someone read it,and they loved the part that i had done so much,they wanted me to continue.dont stop writing,never give up. :)
For about the past year I’ve had the idea in my head to write a book. My idea: a 15 year old with an alcoholic mum. The plot is sort of autobiographical, my experiences growing up etc but it will be an entirley made up scenario. The idea just refuses to go away so tomorrow I’m away into town to buy myself a nice notebook and pen, then away home to get started. It might, and probably will, be abysmal but I don’t care!
Great articles – I loved them all :) congratulations, you have that rare combination of honesty,humour, irony and good advice – excellent! thank you for taking the time and writing them, it was a pleasure :)
On the point of planning my first serious book, I was a little uncertain whether to continue as no one else seems particularly enthusiastic about it. This article was really encouraging and I’ve decided that my idea is good enough to go with, since I care about it and in the end that’s what matters the most. Nice to have an advice article that encourages rather than demands, thanks for the help!
This website is really cool,i love it.I love writing as well!!
need help HOW TO GET A TRUE STORY BOOK started?.its a story how GOD SAVED MY GRANDSON>by a hit&run driver,and left to DIE.arlenedavis his name is daniel cody khan.we need help on this.
Very good.you just helped me realize a lot.thank you so much :)) I need to get started right ….NOW …lol
Good day I have been thinking of writing a book for three years now. The Title of the book would be (SISTER SISTER)
MY sister died suddenly three years ago and I want to tell about our relationship and the pain of losen her. tell me if this is a good idea
I think it’s a great idea. Even if it doesnt get published, putting those feelings down on paper will make you feel better.
If you have the time, please read the following:
So, I recently began writing a slightly lunatic book. It’s about a dwarf society ( those who are irregularly short, not the fairytale kind) being awfully discriminated against by the law thanks to a group of rival bureaucrats, and for that reason the dwarves arm themselves with crème brûlée flamethrowers and try to burn the laws written by the aforementioned bureaucrats. Soon, they realise that the laws are not one act, but separate ones and scattered all over the world. They try to burn all the laws’ copies so they can avoid being persecuted for their height.
Now, please answer the following questions:
-I am a Greek 13-year-old who writes in English. Who on earth do you believe will take my work seriously and give me an objective opinion?
-Do you believe I should keep it as one big book (will becoma circa 900-1000 pgs.) or break it up around halfways?
Thanks for reading, all the best!
What if u don’t really like hearing ur own story but writing it helps it seem more like fiction, maybe they might not wanna hear it.
I’m a story teller of things that have happened in my life and they are all true and friends of mine tell me I should wright a book I think it would make for good reading and a lot of good laughs so I guess I’m writing a book .will keep you in touch as to how it’s going
put more effort int tit
good luck
just perfect understanding!! i want to say thank so much because this is one good ideas for something with writing of note book.. i shall be writing my passion with note book next week or month.. it would need to be good writing skill.. i m determined to write this whether correct or wrong when i m used to write important time ….
My book is about an ordinary girl who later in the book finds out she is a cat the soul spirit mind of a cat. Here’s one of the quotes from the book:
” tThe dreams they were true, everything is true. They told me to embrace it and I ignored it.”
I found this article to be rather interesting and to be honest….
The only reason why I am “toying” with the idea of writing a book is because when I tell people a segment of my life story, they always respond with…. “Man, that sounds like a Lifetime movie, you should think about writing a book or something…”
They say my life story, is not only interesting, but really has that “WOW” factor. They say, “Just telling it, could probably help many.” Not to mention, that there is a “target audience” for the story!
The problem is…..I AM NOT A WRITER!!!!!
I am intelligent enough, to put the words on paper, but have never stopped to take on such a challenge…
SO, SHOULD I PURSUE THIS?
I hope you go for it! I too want to write a memoir. I ALWAYS say after telling parts of the past nine years of my life…Man, I could write a book!!
Good Luck!
You wrote a finely crafted question which proves that you can write. I think you can write a paragraph and see if you enjoy it. I’ve started my first novel and I’m scared, but this website has given me a lot of insight on how to write. Dig in! The adventure within is waiting!
Hi I think that you should pursue. Whatever your Heart desire. Go For It! The article says only
you know what’s best for you. I hope the best for you.
Thanks! I have a children’s book that I KNOW is good. I have already sent out the manuscript twice and have been rejected. I thought I would dust it off and try again. I ran across your site while looking for the list of children’s publishers that still accepts unsolicited manuscripts. Your writing is great and you made me smile, a rare event lately:0)Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi, I just read this post and thought it was great!
However, I’m already done 22 A4 pages of my story which I started in July, before coming here today. I love reading ski-fis and fantasys so I decided to write one myself. I write bits normally everyday if I get the chance. The thing is I’m only 15 years old haha so I don’t think there would be any point in me trying to ever publish it? My mind of course is not only set on the publishing part. I love reading, and I also love writing! It’s like reading, when I start I can’t stop. (Though my brother’s studying always interrupts me when I’m in a big idea! He as to use the computer for his college work)Roughly how many pages would I need? I’m thinking around 100 A4 and I’ll see what that is in book size. So yeah, this is the 1st book I’ve ever written (still writing ofcourse) and basically one day the idea of an alien invasion (ok not completely too original!)
But as it’s my first, my knowledge of writing and vocabulary might not be of good enough standard for to publish. My granddad wrote a book of his heritage before so he knows a publisher. Ofcourse I’d like it published but its not the end of the world. Right now, I can’t wait to start my next book. I don’t really know what I’m writing in this post lol, my mind’s lost trail.
My idea is of an alien invasion and I the whole nation has been worried and hiding in their homes. It deals alot with friendships too with short snippets of old memories. The main character decides to join an agency ( I used CIA but I’m not sure if I’d be allowed to use a real agency like that could I? I could re-edit and make my own one up. So yeah, she disguises herself as one to learn the ways. And overall, the aliens have bigger issues than what it seemed to all the humans. They didn’t come here to destroy. And then you have a few friendships developed and you have a romance ofcourse! I believe in my idea and I love writing about it. It’s funny too I suppose! Yeah I guess I just needed to share that with someone. What kind of people would be interested in my idea? (What audience?) I’m thinking of a younger audience maybe preteens as it might be a little short for an older one who prefer bigger books. Is my idea, ok? I think it is. But I hope others would be interested. I haven’t totally sussed out my target audience as I started my book before I read this!
Hi Iam thinking of writing a book. I am a muslim girl growing up in a strict religious household. Abused by the male species of the family . Girls are not welcome only to become married off in an arranged marriage and give birth to as many children mainly boys to carry the air loom as they say. I left home after my parents were arranging my marriage to my mums brothers son (interbred) . I escaped but did not realise what my life ahead would be like. On the run hiding under the seats of cars for my brothers to beat me and leave me for dead. Bringing discrimination on to the family in the muslim culture was to cause war. The violence, beaings, sexual gravings, and unsettlement caused my health to spiral on a downward life. Now after holding my head up high in the community and living my life i know go back and humilate them who say i caused them shame been a muslim girl. How a judge turned and said to me i was a phenominal woman in what i had achieved in my life. Gave me custody of my nieces baby and my family had not spoke to me on and off for28 years. I fired back with massive revenge. Yes time is a big healer as well a tool of bringing success to my life .
The title of my book would be born to be married!!
Would you read this book?
Thanks for taking the time to respoong or to read this littleversion.
liz
Wow, you got my attention. Write your book.
wow, that is a great story I really would buy your book. very strong.
This sounds great! I’d buy it.
Just reading your comment felt like a synopsis and a great one at that! I would read your book. :)
yes I would read your book there is a woman journalist on abc radio national who has been to many arab countries interviewing many women about the way they live major interest in the news daily on your subject do it
such a brave lady, i would love to read or hear the rest of your life, the way we live our lives is so so different to yours, yet we don’t really appreciate the way we are allowed to live it, I would love to know how your life is now?
yes I would read your book
I wrote this story awhile back and i want to know if anyone but me likes it if you can get back if you think it is interesting that would be great….
It all started about a year ago. The day was warm not a cloud in the sky. The birds were chirping and the wind was blowing. I was sitting in the park reading the news paper, little did i know that my life would take a change for the worst.
I was there with my daughter Lilly. She was beautiful she was. long silky blonde hair in her blue sunday dress. It was just after church she was playing with the kids. When it was time to go i couldn’t find Lilly. i was looking franticly. Worried and scared i called the police.
They showed up an hour later. A man stepped out. He was tall and slinky. His hair black as night. He had a short sleeve shirt on. His badge said “Officer Nick”. Officer Nick walked up to me and started asking questions. “When was the last time you saw your daughter” He asked. His voice deep and bellowing.
“About an hour ago” I replied. “And what was she wearing?” He asked. I explained what she look like and what she was wearing. After about thrirty minutes officer Nick had what he needed. “We’ll contact you if we find anything out” He said “In the mean time go home and get some rest”.
Later that night I worried. “Where could she be” i asked myself. I didn’t get any sleep that night. The next morning my mom came over to vist. I had explained what happend and how the cops were working on it and would let me know if they find anything out. “”Oh dear I’m so sorry” She said.
Her voice was sweet and soothing. I could always count on her for support. Later that day i got a phone call.The number was blocked so i ignored it. I went on with my daily life. Than later that next night another phone call. another blocked number! “Who could this be?” i wondered. I let the voice mail pick it up.
They left a message. The message was a terrible one. One i had hoped not to get. It was a man. “We have your daughter” he said. “We have taken her and need one hundread thousand dollars if you ever want to see her again”. I couldn’t move. I was petrified with fear and anger. This man, This Monster has my daughter and i dont know where their at.
The whole night i stayed up trying to figure out who this man was and where the call came from. The next day i took the evidance to the police. After looking at the evidance, they came back with news i had feared. They did not know who the man was, nor did they know where it came from. Later that day i got another phone call from the blocked number again, this time i answered.
“Hello?” i said. A few minutes went by with no reply. “Hello?” A mans voice came through loud and clear. “Yes, I am here” I replied. “It is about time Johnny boy” The man said. “I’ve been waiting for you” “Who are you” I had asked. “Thats not important right now” The man said, you can hear evilness in his voice. “We have what you want, and you have what we need” he said.
“Meet us at the old abandoned warehouse at midnight, you know where thats at, Dont keep me waiting” *Click* he hung up. I look at the clock, 10:45 pm. “Better get ready” i thought to myself. “1301, 1302, ahh 1312 the old abandoned warehouse” I thought as i stepped out of my vehicle. It was really dark. I noticed in the distance a light and under that light was a body, a shadow walking closer to me. As the person approches they stop about 20 yards ahead of me.
“Dont come any closer John.” That voice could it be? “I’ve been expecting you, why have you made me wait?” It was that was the voice on the phone. The man who took my daughter. “Where is my daughter” I hissed “All in good time” He said with a smerk. “Did you get the money” He asked, his voice dark and low. Dressed in black as to not be seen. “No” I replied with anger in my voice and heart.
“Thats a shame, and Johnny dont get an attitude with me” He barked. “We wouldn’t want any ‘mishaps’ to happen now would we?” “No” i mummbled. “Good, Bring her out” he called on his walkie talkie. In the distant i see another person. This time they have Lilly with them. “Look at me Johnny, not her” the first man said. I turned my attention to him and replied “Dont you hurt her” “Dont worry johnny, you get me what I want and i’ll release her” He said
“$100,000 thats what you said, right?” I asked. “Yes i did say that, but now its $300,000” he replied “You have two weeks, DON’t keep me waiting John” “Oh and if you go to the police again, we will kill her”
Please tell me when u write that book heres my email sobiasushi201025@hotmail.com! i love ur idea i am sooo excited to find out wut happens next
wow now im pretty interested as well… I would like to read more!
Good idea for a story. Grammar and Spelling don’t seem like they show up in this story a lot. If you fix that and have a good story line, you’ll have your book published in no time.
I love that! If you fix your spelling, punctuation, and grammar, it would be perfect! When you are done, can you email me the title? My email is: morgan2.gilbert1@gmail.com Thanks!
I really enjoyed reading your information. It has inspired me to move forward with writing my book. Thank you so much!
I have been wanting to write a book about my daughter and what I as a mother have been through dealing with her drug addiction, stealing, jail time and a baby that I am now bringing up and had to fight to keep. I want to call it “A memoir of a mothers battle” or something to that effect. I believe something of this nature would hit home with a lot of parents dealing with children addicted to drugs and let them know they are not alone and it’s not thier fault. I think even younger people would be interested in this story.
I have never thought about writing before, but lately I have been thinking about getting my story out there, even if it’s just to vent about the 9 years I have struggled to keep to keep her alive. What do you think? Please be honest
Brilliant post! Thank you for sharing. I fully agree with every word that you’ve written. In fact, even the well established authors need this sort of stuff, especially when they lose sight of their honest reasons to write.
hey, i just wanted to know if it is a good idea for me to write a book. i like it and my parents like it, but… what if i get bored? i think this is something my mom wants me to do (haha) but, again, what if i get bored? so far i have three pages done and i think it’s going too fast. but i guess maybe visiting graves is something normal people do regularly… ehh nevermind that!! i guess i should give a little back story?
it’s about two siblings, prince Ezra Alekzandar Fabian Lovelace iii and princess Cecilie Amillia Antoinette Lovelace ii. their parents are dead from a military accident and Ezra is a vampire(a REAL vampire, not a sparkly fag.). maybe i need to change something though, or maybe i need some advice. any ideas from anyone? haha
Vampires have come and gone. Go with something unique. Just a suggestion.
I look forward ..
I’m fourteen and i have been toying with the idea of writing something, so i finally sat down and wrote this today.
She looks so beautiful, I think to myself. So peaceful and content, her brown hair cascading around her. I wonder what she is dreaming of, all I know is it’s not about me. But maybe that can change, maybe one day it will be alright for us to love them and then the peaceful look on her face will be because she is dreaming of me. Something is wrong, her face doesn’t look calm anymore she looks like she is in pain. I wish I could hold her, comfort her, let her know that I am here and I live and breathe for her. That I will always be there for her, and protect her. She still looks like she is in pain, I move closer to her and touch her hand. I hope she can feel me here, doing the best that I can without outright breaking the rules. I reluctantly move my hand, if I kept it there any longer I might be tempted to do more than that. She jumps up out of her sleep looking lost at first, and then stares at me, so much for the rules now.
I’m flying away from everything, my home, my dysfunctional family, this city into oblivion. The farther I fly, the lighter I feel, less burdened by this ugly world in which I live. But something is happening, all around me is going dark and I’m not flying anymore, I hit a cold hard floor. Where am I? I try to stay calm, if I could just feel for something I could find my way out of wherever I am. I put my hands straight out in front of me and take a step forward, and I am met with a wall. I turn and try again, another wall, each time I turn my hands hit a wall. “Help!” I scream, the echoes of my voice the only response I receive. I keep yelling until I can’t anymore, and start to cry. I’m crouched on the floor in a ball when I feel a sudden jolt of warmth all around me, engulfing me with happiness. I stand up and try walking again, this time I don’t run into a wall, I let out a sigh of relief and keep walking. I start to see the faintest trickle of light and I feel myself running. The light is getting bigger brighter, I think I’m almost there when the light starts to dim and fade away. I run even faster, but I’m too late the light is gone, as if it were never there.
I jump up breathing heavy, for a second I think I’m still in the darkness, but I feel the soft covers of my bed underneath me. I relax now knowing it was just a dream, a bad one, but one nonetheless. My eyes refocus in the dark and I see a figure sitting on my bed. I open my mouth to scream but he’s fast, and already has his hand over my mouth.
After reading this, would you want to read more?
Yes.
Thank you, I truly appreciate that you took the time to read my post
I loved that! You should continue writing that… That would make an awesome book!!! If you ever finish that, email me at morgan2.gilbert1@gmail.com!
yes, that is great honey, i look forward to seeing you published in the future..:)
Hello! I am this preteen that loves reading books. I have always wanted to write a book, but I always give up on this one idea that I have been dreaming about for about two years.
The story is based of my friends. You know how the Mayan people use to believe that the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012, well I am thinking of making that into a book.
An old Mayan man calls up six tweens. Their names are Elizabeth Clark, Madison Coates, Jenny Varner, John Laughlin, , and Omar Dimitri
Kenny Smith. Elizabeth, the main character, knows all the others that the man told them, but Kenny Smith. John is her crush, Omar her enemy, and Madison and Jenny are her best friends. She frecks out because the 21st is tomorrow, and is also the dance. After they move all over, they find Kenny. Madison has a secret, and Omar has a crush. They need to survive through winter and into the summer, but will they all?
Does anyone like this idea?
That is really great! Its personally not my thing (I don’t like too much life drama) but I know MANY girls that would love that. Please write it!
Hello !I’ve been writing a lot,since i was little and recently i’ve come to the conclusion that you can never be happy if you don’t do what you love,it took me a lot of jobs and career changes to realise that writing is what i want to be doing for the rest of my life.I have never looked into the professional side of it and i don’t know if i am any good,or what my style is.I would appreciate a really honest opinion.Here a bit of my work,the title of the book is Big streets,bright lights.Any feedback will be forever treasured.
..so many derogatory names for something that doesn’t just became an addiction its something you fall in love with.I might sound deranged but she’s still the one that makes me feel taller then all this walls .And i miss her so much but scared of her just as much,feel weightless around her.I am changed,forever and can’t change the past ,can only go out blazing really .So yes,i will be the one who says hell yeah,never had anything better ,nobody made me feel safer,and nothing made me feel more special,so yeah i wish i had her all the time but i cant,unless im willing to let her kill me.Such a harsh price to pay for love.But hey,that’s how love stories are,at least the good ones,love always seem to kill in the end,could be your self esteem ,your identity,your friends,family,its all down to imagination ,just how far you can really stretch …and sacrifice.
Gratitude and loyalty..never been my strong qualities,cant really explain why,maybe i’m just a bad person,but i always hated saying thank you or be faithful.
Death, death, death its been on my mind,alot lately.If i die i hope i can go back in time,i feel like i belong somewhere in the Belsay Gardens ,or similar,a time when people where having 5 o’clock tea in the garden and they were painting in the cold sun..a time of etiquette,something i seem to lack in my time.A time that was as cruel as now but with greater posture and elegance.It’s not the game,it’s how you play it.We’re all the same,we feel the same ,we think alike,its the same survival of the fittest rule…forever,and nothing changes.Nothing but the style,and the style lives forever.It’s how we do it,not what…everything’s been done before..
‘You need to stare into the light’ ,he said ,’otherwise you won’t feel a thing’.The sick feeling in your gut when you try something for the first time and don’t know what to expect.How funny,when i look back now,ten years ago and my first time feeling her and letting her take control of me not knowing how it will change me.
On a Depeche Mode cd ,two big white lines and a rolled up 10 dollar bill.’You need to roll it until it looks like a straw he said’ .I remember Eminem and Dido on MTV,that tall room,the tallest i have ever seen,and big,as big as two rooms put together and old,with big tall windows and wooden blinds .My tea was cold and i didn’t wonder why.I don’t remember what i was wearing exactly but i remember putting on his mothers trainers and him tying up the laces …
I keep getting emails with comments,but they are for other people’s posts. Dissapointed as nobody is giving me any feedback,but guess it’s not as interesting as it should be,a bit of a wake up call for me.
Hi Oana:
Don’t fret – this post gets some traffic but it’s no Grand Central Station.
The most important thing I can tell you is for anyone to consider your work you have to get the little details right. Your sample has many basic grammar mistakes and typos. Writing is very competitive. You rarely get people to look at your work a second time. Misspelled words, typos and tense conflicts (all of which I found in your post) make it very easy for someone to reject your work on move on to other submissions without reading much of it.
As my post itself was trying to express, only you can decide to take your work seriously. If you’re depending on some person you don’t know to encourage you, you’ll fail as soon that encouragement stops coming. It has to come from you.
If you want to give it a serious shot, find a local community college and sign up for a writing class. Any one will do. There you will get structure and specific feedback that you need.
Or go pick up any of the books on writing I mention here as they all cover basic grammar, tense and punctuation.
https://scottberkun.com/2007/how-to-write-a-book-the-short-honest-truth/
Good Luck.
You’ll only get out of your writing what you put in.
I’ve been reading since I was a little girl, and books have always touched me. I’ve wanted to write so many books, however I never thought my ideas were good. So, my idea for a book would either be a memoir about my challenges in life hoping people can relate to them.
Or, writing something creative set in the 50’s with the greasers, and I’ve always wanted a romance in the 50’s. But, it wouldn’t be a happy ending love story. A typical greaser in a gang falls in love with a innocent young girl named Laura, but it seems that falling in love with her could cause a stir in the balance of gangs.
Just an idea of course.
Hi,i’m a fourteen year old girl and I have had this book idea that i’ve thinked abouth for a while now. It is abouth a woman who grows up in texas around 1940.She has conservative parents and later her mother kill herself.Then it is abouth her life when she marries a man and then leaves him because he beats her,and then lives with an indian tribe and finally comes to New York.In New York she starts an succesful career at Wallstreet and a little more will happen to.Does anyone think it’s a good bookidea,ore anything they wood like to read?
oops, sorry i totally failed with the comment,sorry.
I’ve been told to write a book about my life, but I find that to be very complicated. I know my life is worthless to its core, but to read it, that’s another story. I always wanted to write, but just the thought of it makes me want to burn the books I have read that are on my desk lol.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, but not a book of a person’s life, more like a graphic novel that takes from my life. I just don’t know how to do it. I ran stories in my head over and over, but i have so many ideas that it will not work for one book. I want to skip a lot of things and just get to the “wow” factor lol. The thing is, I don’t know how to write. Should I do it as a third person, should I have the characters tell it, if so, how does it work. Should I do it a script for a movie. I don’t know how to make it flow. Should I just tell the story without any characters saying anything, just tell what they are doing. Ugh.
in my opinion i think you should have the characters tell it third person books have always been boring to me because it weird seeing lets say lily thought or said lily its nice to know what the person is feeling as well
ALSO:
I want my book to be true, and I don’t mean my life as I see it, I mean true with real live events, no Hollywood twists, not happy endings, no “love made them get through everything” type of stuff. I want pain, suffering, with lady luck spitting on the face of the main characters, I want true struggles, I want true sadness. I want the readers to not know what will happened. I want the readers to get involved with these characters that if I kill one off, I want an outrage from the public.
Thank you very much for these inspiring words. Have decided to start mine one right now and im gonna mention you inside it, too.
Be in peace.
Marcos.
I am a young writer in high school. I got the crazy idea that i could be the small town girl that made it big. I got the passion to write through my strong faith in Jesus Christ and i have grown a passion for it. I want to write a book and have it becomed published just like the Purpose Driven Life. Not some book thats sold at gas stations or not at all! I want to write several books about my life story through my faith in Christ, or devotionals, or (my favorite) a book about seeing actions from the Lord without him being there. I would call the last book Unseen works or Invisible Faith…something amazing. But I have no clue how to make it big, i feel like i am talented for my age and several people tell me i am very inspiring. I feel like this is Gods plan for me. My passion when i graduate soon is to go to school for ministry and i would love to be able to tour with my books to spread the gospel to millions through book signings or conferences or sermons. I love to do it but I have NO clue where to start. Help!
hello!!! Wow!! you sound just like me!! I’m a girl at college studying youth ministry, and recently I’ve been thinking about writing a book about my life story, but in a way, it would help the reader know about God’s love for everyone who is broken, and that He still accepts everyone. But the story would be about a girl who had a troubled past who decides to minister to others in a foreign country , but while she ministers, she meets kids who all have the same qualities she had in her past. So while she’s ministering to them, she also grows in her spirit too.
I haven’t thought about it much, but I keep thinking I should write something like that~ by the way, I think if God is calling you to do that, then you should go for it without worrying about making it big :) because if its His Will, He will give you the publicity for others to see your work! So I’d say go for it!! I’m cheering for you!!
I really loved reading this! It kind of actually inspired me to start writing again! I love reading books and writing them. The worst part is that I’m 15 and I think my ideas are dry next to real authors.
Anyway, I have written a book (haven’t we all!) and I don’t really know if its that good. The ideas are sort of blurry in my head but here’s the introduction. Hope you will have time to read it and hopefully you like it as much as I did :)
Heaven didn’t welcome me with a gift or warm big hugs. Hell didn’t recognize me or want me and on Earth, I walked among the living being dead, invisible.
Yes, a few days like that is fun but if live like that for eight years it doesn’t seem exciting. It starts to frustrate every working nerve in you, it haunts you, it brings up more questions in your head than before!
It gets more pathetic when you have no idea who you are and the only salvation for you is to find out how you died.
Thank God <– ironic, but still Thank God for those random drunkards who could see me and the God's gate keeper or else I'd really be a loner! I got up from the cold and dusty road.
Another day I told myself, maybe, just maybe someone will actually see me! I tried convincing myself with those lines but then who would keep believing those words which were overrated and kept turning out to be false?
But on the other hand those words were the only hope and motivation I had and that kept me going. So I walked on Earth being once again… invisible…
Hi I’m in high school and I’ve been thinking about writing a book I have wrote many starting to books most have to do with vampires or angels but after a couple of A4 pages I lose my inspiration I feel like my story goes to quickly. I’m always getting stuck here is a bit of my latest writing please be honest with opinions good or bad!
Being a vampire was proving to be more difficult then I had expected. I thought I was ready for the blood lust for the strength, speed and my heightened emotions but I wasn’t. I was way unprepared. whenever I look at people I can smell there blood running through there veins I can hear there heart beat and It draws me in. I can’t be around my friends or my family because I’m afraid that if I get to close I might drink them dry and If I did I would go over the edge I’m afraid that If I feed on someone I’m not going to stop until everyone is drained and deadand thats why i drink from blood bags. At first I thought it was an answered prayer but now I know it’s a curse. Here I am sitting in class I’m in year ten and the breeze starts to pick up my fiery red hair falls into my face and I can smell my strawberry shampoo but that’s not all I can smell I can smell. I can smell everyone in my class I can smell jacks deodorant from three seats across and two seats behind me I can smell a girls raspberry scented hair isabell I assume. There were so many scents and I had smelt them every day since school started two months ago I had almost recognised every scent to every face. But suddenly there was a new smell and it was coming at me from a fair distance In front of me. It was the best smell I had ever come across in my five months of being a vampire if I wasn’t surrounded by all these people I would have gotten out of my seat and gone after it but I stopped myself barely holding myself together. it smelt amazing like roses and lavender crossed with honey it entranced me. Who owned the scent. What did they look like. What was there name. But all those question died when I saw his face. He was beautiful his hair was blonde and the right side curved around his right eye his lips were a beautiful rose pink he had the most bluest eyes i had ever seen. He was lean but muscular and tall. He was a god. for a few seconds I thought of him with massive blue white fire wings that confused me why would I think of him with wings? I shrugged it off and continued to stare at him. He looked around the class and his eyes stopped on me and our eyes locked and they stayed there. Was I just me or did his eyes just get darker! He smirked like he had read my thoughts and then the teacher interrupted our stare and said “this is Gabriel Liam”
(Is it horrible?)
Look, I’m rather quite young to be worrying about writing a book but I feel that I have to! I always have these burning desires to write one but then I sit there just about to write one then my inspiration goes! I’m only 12 and from England but I have wrote down many sorts of writing I could do like comedy, horror etc. I’m mostly interested in comedy but I try writing something different now and again but I just need help on ideas that I could put in! Many thanks
Well, this may not be help with ideas, but I do have a few things to say to you.
The first thing is that the only time anyone should “worry” about writing a book is if they are a professional writer who gets their only income from their stories, and I’m guessing that you aren’t, being 12 and all. Writing should be fun and not something to stress over.
The second thing is that you are never too young to write a book. If you have an idea that you like, go for it. Now, I used to think that I was too young too, but it never stopped me from trying. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find something that I felt passionate enough about until recently. I’m 14, in case you were wondering, and I’ve been trying to write a book since I was about 10. Think about something you are very passionate about, and the rest will come to you. For me, well…it was more of a romance thing, but well, at the same time, it isn’t. I have a post on here, probably near the bottom since I posted it quite recently, that has several paragraphs of my first chapter.
I suppose I should be carrying on with this and get to my third piece of advice. Never give up. Those paragraphs that I posted, that happen to have somehow lost their paragraph formatting and now look like a huge block of text, will probably be altered many times before I even consider an editor. I go over my work time and time again, each time trying to use a finer and finer toothed comb. If at first you don’t like what you wrote, revise, revise, revise.
I hope this has given you plenty to think about and perhaps some ideas as well, and just so that I didn’t lose you in that jumble of words up there, I’ll rehash what I just said, and condense it into something a little shorter.
One: writing should be fun, not stressful or worrisome.
Two: your age doesn’t matter. It’s the passion and effort that you put into it that counts.
Three: never give up. It’s very hard to make something perfect the first time round.
So that’s about it! Now get out there and do it!
That is a brilliant story so far Jamie 225!
I have been thinking about writing my husbands, grandparents story for a long time. They were pen pals before the second world war. She Lived in Belgium and he in England. When the war started he became a photographer for the air force but was captured and held in POW camp in Japan. During his time her wrote letters to her to keep him going. When her was finally released he went to find her an as the stories go they lived happily ever after. There are loads of lovely details like him making a life packed with his friend (he was the only one who survived) and her hiding in the attic listening to the BBC world service.
I think its a beautiful story but would anyone else care or want to read this?
I am considering writing a “how to buy” and “where to go” book on stand up paddleboarding in the outerbanks North Carolina. I am a buyer for a company that carries a wide variety of SUP’s and think the book might help people to decide what and where, when making this large dollar purchase
The Reality Book: Today started out with a taste of freedom! There sat in my driveway, a shiny new car! It had been so many years since I had been able to go to the grocery store, to work, to the mall or just for a ride by myself! My husband always had to be with me. I was not allowed to even go with a friend to lunch. How did I ever let my life be so controlled by someone? He had always been the type that wanted to take “care” of me. I was never allowed to visit my family on my own. After my parents died, things got worst. unbearable almost. Any time I sought to have any independence, he quickly showed me he was the one in control & would tighten the reins even more….Two years ago when my youngest baby started school, I decided to go back to college. With tooth & nail, I fought with my husband, only to have my car taken away a few weeks later. I didnt understand why he didnt want me to better myself. I continued in school, actually having a GPA of 4.0…but He was not happy. I became pregnant & had to drop out. I cried everyday & felt so trapped. Later, he admitted to purposefully getting me pregnant….not very good but I do want to be a writer : )
Well, if writing is your dream then I hope you’re prepared to accept some criticism.
First: Show, don’t tell. Yes, yes, I know. This bit of advice is repeated ad nauseum but for good reason. In your work, the wife is telling the reader about how horribly she is treated by her husband, but it isn’t resonating. Why don’t you create a scene that will let the readers come to that conclusion on their own?
Here’s an example based on your work.
–I couldn’t contain my excitement when I saw that little car parked in the driveway. My husband snorted upon catching sight of it, declaring it “a worthless piece of junk.” I bristled at his tone but said nothing, not wanting to turn away from this glorious sight. Before long, a vision had carried me away. I was cruising down the highway with the window rolled all the way down. My hair whipped in the wind, but I didn’t care because finally after all these years, I had it. My freedom.
A soft jingle broke me out of my revery. I turned to see my husband, leaning casually against the door frame. The keys to my freedom dangled from his fingers. His lips quirked as he gazed into my apprehensive face.–
Instead of flat out stating that the husband is an abusive, control freak I implied it through his actions. You must create a verbal painting for your readers. This is important because a painting says much more than what is explicitly revealed.
Second: don’t overwhelm the readers with an exposition dump. You have an entire novel to flesh out the details of her life. The only important details right now are the car and the controlling husband. You should focus only on those two elements in the first few sentences.
Third: vary the style of your sentences. If every other sentence starts with ‘I was…’ or ‘I have…’ or even just ‘I…’ there’s a problem. Variety is the spice of life and of writing. And keep in mind that throwing an adverb in front of the ‘I’ does not solve the problem. Talk about what the husband or the car or the wind or the keys or anything else did.
Fourth: try to maintain tension in your writing. A story must have an antagonist. The way it’s been written so far, the story is implying that the wife has already dealt with her problems. She used to have a controlling husband but it looks like he’s gone now since he’s only talked about in the past tense. And guess what, she has a shiny new car that represents her freedom so it looks like she doesn’t even have a current problem. Life sucked for her before but it looks like she’s pretty well off now. I don’t have a reason to continue reading because it’s boring listening to other people talk about how their life was so bad.
I don’t mean to hurt your feelings but criticism will only make you a better writer. Look up examples of other written works and examine them to see how they are constructed.
Thanks for this. I had this idea i decided to write on paper. its about a distopian society sort of like hunger games/1984 combined. the main character looks back on his life while he had supposedly failed in his mission to get revenge on the men that imprisoned him for 3 years. With his oldest childhood friend and true love he is tricked into a trap designed far before he was even born. never though it would have an audience beyond a small amount of people but hell, i like it so im doing it anyways
I want to write a book about the hardships I have had in my life and the good things in my life, from being beat up by an ex to the birth of my son and all the stuff in between I would like to know if u think it will be worthy of publishing as it is hard for me to write about but I want people to see the mind games and unbelievable acts and leanths that some people go to, to distory a persons life for no reason! I have lots to tell and time to write and will power to do it but would it be worth my time and effort???
My sister (and family) have been encouraging me to write a book concerning corporate america a “how to” book. You see over the past fifteen years or so, I have mastered the art of “every price is negotiable” whether you are shopping at you local market, a high end dept. store, or even on the phone with utility companies. I have been able to save my family a great deal of money by just being head strong and not taking “no” for an answer. Do I expect everything to be free? Absolutley not; however, if I have been a loyal consumer with a particular (let’s say) cellphone carrier and I want to upgrade all four of my phone lines, then I go in prepared to negotiate for what I want and I always come out on top. So many companies manipulate terminology in such a manner to confuse the consumer thus far taking away their ability to understand. I want to educate those individuals who are constantly getting “bulldozed” by corporate america, when they don’t have to be. Every Price is negotiable, anytime, anywhere, no matter what!
I’m a junior in high school, and have only recently seriously begun writing. In the past month, I’ve written fifteen chapters, totaling around 64 A4 pages. I was surfing the net for possible ways to publish a book out of simple curiosity, and I stumbled across this site. The two articles I read were very well written, and after seeing the first chapters of other books posted here, I decided to post my prologue.
The two men watched each others actions, both of them poised to fight. They both wore long black trench coats, with dark hoods hanging unused behind their heads. One of the men had his brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and the other had short cropped blond hair. The men loathed each other, hatred for the other man emitting from their very essence. A variety of weapons laid sheathed at their sides, the ponytailed man having an elegant rapier and a strange hooked knife, while the other man had a beaten iron long sword, the blade scarred from numberless pass conflicts. They stood upon the grand city of Borchester’s castle walls, the grey stone pale in the moonlit night sky. On one side of the wall was Borchester itself, a grand collection of buildings slowly ascending up a hill, peaked by a grand castle where the king of Voltingoth himself resided. On the other side of the wall was a vast open field neatly divided, depending on what kind of crop was grown and who the land belonged to.
A torrent of rain pounded the terrain around them, the heavy drops drenching the stone ground, creating a slick fighting space. Both men were soaked to the bone, their long trench coats sodden from the rain. Water droplets clung to their bodies, slowly dripping from their dark figures.
The men knew each other well, having fought side by side against countless enemies. They had always been friends, for as long as either man could remember. Both of the men were twenty five, their similarity in age only serving to strengthen their friendship. Their bond was so strong, that they had sworn an oath beneath a great oak tree bordering the river of Anrak, swearing to each other that they would forever be brothers in arms. As long as one still drew breath, he would strive to honor the other. If one of the men were struck down, the other would seek vengeance. If help was needed in a task beyond the limits of one man, the other would lend his aid, combining their talents to achieve a common goal.
Now however, it appeared that they were destined to be each other’s mortal enemy.
The brown haired man slowly unsheathed his rapier and hook knife, and pointed his rapier at his former friend. His voice was calm, but had an unmistakable edge of malice to it. “Axel, my longtime friend. Do you really mean to bar my escape from the order? Are you really so foolish to try to oppose me, after you witnessed me slay so many of our brothers and sisters?”
Anger flashed through Axel’s eyes, and he too unsheathed his long sword, the tattered blade reflecting the pastel moonlight. “You are no longer a brother of mine Voltaire, and your deeds will be punished. You will regret leaving the Seekers in favor of the League of Shadows before the nights done.”
Voltaire smiled a wolfish grin. “I doubt it,” he swiftly replied.
He lunged at Axel, quickly closing the gap between the two men. Axel dodged to the right and swung his heavier sword two handed at Voltaire. Voltaire parried and stepped back, drawing his hooked knife.
He advanced on Axel like a whirlwind, his blades blurring. Axel easily blocked three blows, but a fourth dug into his leg, causing white hot fingers of pain to rebound throughout his body.
Axel retreated from Voltaire’s onslaught, the ferocity of the other man’s attack stunning him. Did he really hate him so much?
Skillful as Axel was, he had always known that Voltaire was his superior, the young man easily surpassing almost any Seeker in skill.
“Why are you doing this Voltaire?” Axel shouted over the rain, “Why have you abandoned the Seekers?” His voice became filled with agony, “What’s wrong with serving as the kingdoms protectors, the protectors of the people?”
“The people are weak,” Voltaire sneered.
Axel went on the offensive, his sword raised high over his head. He savagely brought it down, and to counter the increased weight of the long sword over his rapier, Voltaire crossed his hook knife and blade, catching the blow in the middle of the formed x.
They became locked in a deadlock, forcing both men to pit their strength against the other. The two bitterly gazed into each other’s eyes, their anger secretly shocking both men.
Suddenly, Voltaire’s foot shot out and sideswiped Axel’s, causing the man to fall. Axel’s back collided with the hard stone of Borchester’s city walls, momentarily winding him.
Before he could stand up, Voltaire brought his rapier down and slammed it into Axel’s gut. The man screamed in pain, tears forming around his eyes. Voltaire twisted the blade, further antagonizing the grievous wound.
Voltaire pulled his blade free and walked away, leaving the man to bleed out. His back was turned to the man when a faint voice stopped him, so faint that Voltaire had to struggle to hear it.
“You…” Axel feebly croaked, “Are a fiend. You were like… a brother to me. I trusted you with my life, and now…now you threw it all away,” he weakly finished.
Voltaire turned his head to regard the dying man. “Evidently, we were never brothers.”
A single tear, lost in the rain, fell from Voltaire’s eye. Neither man noticed, the delicate droplet joining the rain drops in their cascade to earth.
Voltaire stalked away from the corpse, eager to begin his new life of freedom.
I recommend getting to the action much sooner. My writing teacher recommends holding off on the description until the plot calls for it. Try to emphasize action not description because it keeps your writing dynamic.
You are telling and not showing. Don’t tell us the men hate each other. Show us through their actions. Convey that emotion through a grimace on the face or a clenching of the fists. Something like that. you also jump way to fast from telling the reader that they hated each other to saying that they used to be friends. Try to imply it rather than stating it outright. It’s more interesting for a reader if you leave a little mystery.
I don’t have any emotional attachment to these men so I couldn’t care less what they look like. You are allowed to leave that out. Readers are pretty smart and can fill in the blanks.
I recommend the Queryshark blog. It is focused on writing queries but the advice is superb for writing the novel itself.
Thanks for the criticism. I’ll be sure to put it to good use.
So, I’m 14 and I’ve been working on this story…
Three months. We’ve been at war for three months, and what am I doing? Training for combat. Everyone over twelve who isn’t fighting already is training. It’s horrible, but I’m lucky. I’m not in a strict camp. The leaders here are more ‘slowpace’ people, so we’re gradually getting up to some harder stuff.
But that can wait for a second. I haven’t told you anything about myself yet. I’m Sandra, but my friends call me Sassi. Most people call me ‘girl’, and I hate it. Especially when the tall, ‘cool’ boys say it, because they’re always looking down on me. It makes me want to wring their necks.
And I would wring their skinny little chicken necks, but I don’t particularly like picking fights. If a fourteen year old girl like me picked a fight with one of them, it’d be trouble. I would do it for Sammy though. There aren’t many things that I wouldn’t do for Sammy, she is my best friend after all, but she usually doesn’t ask me to do anything. She thinks I can’t handle myself. She’s wrong.
Sammy and I were in school together until the war started. Her hair used to be brown, but she dyed it black and I don’t remember what the old Sammy looked like anymore. She loved to read and write poetry, and so do I. Well, I did anyway. You don’t do much reading in the camp, unless it’s bathroom graffiti or instructions. Graffiti is a lot more common than instructions though. Chay Kay does graffiti. It’s kinda weird.
Chay Kay was also from our school, but he is a grade below us. He’s got blondeish hair that is somewhere between curly and wavy. I don’t know much about him, we’re not close friends or anything, but I do know that he likes to write sappy love poems and stuff, which can be sweet on occasion, but usually they make me want to throw up. Not because I don’t like romantic stuff, it’s just…
Well, nevermind about that. As I was saying, we’re at war. A World War. The Eastern and Western hemisphere’s are fighting each other. Sounds a bit pointless, right? It is. The nations on our side of the globe are called the Merics, and the other side of the world is just called ‘The Enemy’ whenever the instructors talk about it. We don’t know much about them. Not even why we’re fighting them. How are we supposed to fight an enemy we know nothing about?
I don’t really want to fight them, but I’m just not the same as our leaders. They just want to snuff out any defiance against them. Actually, they want to get other people to wipe out whatever defiance there is against them, even if those other people are children. There’s a reason they’re training us, but I can’t decide if it’s so we can actually fight them, or if it’s so we’ll be foolish enough to think that we can fight them.
And speaking of being foolish, I am in the middle of a predicament. A pretty bad one, if I do say so myself. Sammy’s getting pushed around by the three meanest boys in the camp, and I’m about to do something very, very stupid. Remember when I said I’d pick a fight for Sammy? Well…
Would you read more?
I’d read more. The selection tends to jump around a lot, and maybe you should wait to introduce Chay Kay until Sassi actually talks to him in the novel. Otherwise, I think that it was good.
Hi everyone!
The other night while trying to fall asleep the idea of writing a short story on my recent prior experiences came to mind. This past summer for three months, I had the opportunity to play professional American football in Germany. The story would start with the final game of my collegiate football career and finding out I did not have another year of eligibility. I was not invited to any pro days or combines either. I had accepted my playing days were over. Then the story quickly summarizes the remaining months of college upon graduation and the current life/future situation that lays ahead (serious girlfriend, career path). Thinking my football career was finished, I unexpectedly received a message from a competitive professional football team in germany midway through their season. I had 2 days to sign or the team would find someone else. I dropped my expected future path to have another opportunity on the gridiron. The story would be filled with laughter from a 22 year old’s observation of a first time experience in europe, along with prior beliefs of Germany, but with the hardship of leaving everything behind.
As the months go by in Germany, the life I had prior, started changing back home. I returned back to the states in early September and the story would end by listening on the radio to the season opener of my old college football team thinking to myself, “oh how my Saturday’s have changed!” And appreciating the unforgettable experiences and life lessons I learned while overseas. I am aware of John Grisham’s, “Playing For Pizza”. I believe my story and certain experiences can still grab readers attention.
-Let me know what you think!
Hello! I am a preteen that wants to write a fantasy book. I also want to write a memoir on 5th grade because that year was very important. The fantasy book would be titled “Journey to Green Pine Grove” and the memoir would either be titled “My Journey of Faith, Humility, and Color” or “Through Rainbow Eyes”. This is the memoir plot:
In the beginning of fifth grade I wrote a poem for a contest and they did not accept it. I was very dissapointed. I wrote some stories for other contests but they got rejected. (This would be better writing and I would put the writing in the memoir. I would also mix them in with the others to create a story. This is the bare bones.this is the humility)
I woke up one morning and wanted to be a Christian. I started praying, unprompted by my peers or parents. (Faith)
Then, at the end of fifth grade, I found out I had synaesthesia. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is the mixing of two senses. I had the certain types where numbers, names, and weekdays have color to me. I also think numbers have personalities. And I see the months and weeks in a certain place in the space around me. Don’t call me a freak, its normal. (Color).
The plotline of the fantasy book is –
Boy named Noah’s parents dissapear, he goes on a quest to find the Mars dragon, which can tell him where they are. He meets a talking sloth he becomes friends with. He gets in a Gladiator fight with a mad squirrel. When he gets to the green pine grove the Mars dragon plays a game of riddles with him, but he wins. The Mars dragon does not tell the boy where his parents are but instead flys away. Boy finds secret in a chest. The end!
sorry for the small amount of detail, this is not the book.
I have a Book Idea Called “What are You Saying”?
It’s got 3 meanings:
What are you to Yourself
What you saying to Others
What are People Saying in response to You. Without using The words they really mean!
How do I find a Publisher? Thanks
where do i start? going way back to when i was 4.5 such bad bad memories for me, Even growing up seemed to be the same, now i am 48 years old I still think of my past and at such a young age all the pain/hurt and what i went through, But after all this life now is starting to look brighter even thow i take each day as it comes that’s another story but for me to get to this point where i am today i have to start with the bad, again reliving this as if it were yesterday, would this help me to forget/forgive or just get it all out once and for all, The problem with me is i think far too much about my past that i feel this is preventing me from enjoying what i have now,
please tell me what you think i should do with the feelings i have been carrying around with me for far too long
MAN i read what you wrote while listening to a great Demi Lovato song “Skyscraper” it totally went with your comment! It really warmed my heart and I would definately love to hear your story!! You should listen to skyscraper too and since [most likely from ur experiences] you are emotional it will bring tears to your eyes… like it did to mine… :)
Hold on to your feelings, never let them go. Then, as you die, realize that no one ever knew your of your past. However, as you die, you remember that you wrote it all down in a book long ago, and with your dieing strength, you leave a note to your great grandson, telling him where you hid it.
I want to write a book on the four elements, but is that too overdone like vampires? Here’s what its kind of about:
Every generation five individuals are born with the power to control the four elements; Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. These five are born into the founding families; Blackburn, Remington, Calloway, Lancaster, and Hale. These ancestors of these five families are said to be the first wielders.
Others can wield one of the elements but the story is mostly based around one of the wielders.There Is more to it but you can get the general picture.
It sounds a bit like a mash up of Avatar the Last Airbender and a generic “a group of teens with special powers team up and fight evil while falling in love and discovering their true selves” story.
Hi I am fourteen, like many of the others that have commented. I have wrote a book, it is only a draft and I am changing it around and adding little bits and bobs to it. I will write a small part of it and if any of you will be kind enough to comment and criticize it, I will be very grateful.
Mariana stood staring over the slanting glass window that took up one whole wall of the blank hospital window. She trembled slightly in fear and took a deep breath “I can do this” she assured herself.
Of course she could do this, she was brought here and tortured, she needed to stop it, but the only way to do that was to run. That is what she wanted to do, that is what she needed to do.
She tightened her plain white trainers, plain white laces and exhaled the long breath. She kicked the glass, one loud crack later and the glass exploded outwards and tumbled towards the bottom of the building, it slid down like a slide and she thought silently, my turn. She jumped.
I there. My name is denise and I have panic attacks and depression. I was thinking of writing about the journey of panic attacks, my experiences, anxiety, depression and how to deal with and over come everyday anxieties in life. Is this a good idea?
Hi there,
I have for some time toyed also with the idea of writing a book. I am a huge Michael Jackson fan and I have started writing things down from a certain point in his career, 1991 – 1994, The Dangerous Era, i have started writing down how I became a fan, my early memories, but i want to mainly write about this Era and my memories of it growing up. I keep putting the idea off but just last week i took the plunge and began to jot things down in my Iphone, Ipad and paper. So far i have came up with 2000 plus words, I am currently doing a lot of research on this subject too. i have came to the conclusion if it’s rubbish i dont care, I have read articles about writing about you ‘passion’ and i am very passionate about this part of my life as i have alot of fond memories from this time.
Well i was thinking of writting my own book called the search of a life time. Its about a 17 yo girl who has found out she has three weeks to live. Since shes been an infant shes been raised by a women named lucy. Lucy is all that she has ever known. So finally with this news lucy tells lea of a family whom she has never met. When the search takes her across the world and back lea discovers secrets that shouldve remained unknown.
Soo please let me know if its good or not. Thanks!