For years, I wanted to write a book. I had these dreams of getting my message out there, to help others. Always bound by the truth, and facing people who want to silence me, I just knew I had to write.
I admit, at first it was intimidating to write a book and then publish it. I didn’t really believe I could do it. Plus, I was a full time Mom and a special needs mom to top it all off. I just thought there was no way.
But, then, the book, which was brewing in my head and my soul, came out. It poured, honestly. I spent a week pouring out the book that I couldn’t get out until it was ready.
If you are there, or close and don’t know where to start, read these steps and see if they help you. Remember, there is no one way to craft or write a book, to get out your story, but there are some steps you cannot skip to get it out.
Use Good Writing Software
In my early days of writing, I admit I used open software to write with. But, what happened was that I spent so much time trying to figure out configurations and details about the software, that my writing was interrupted.
Further, when it came down to hitting publish, I had to swich my work to Microsoft Word. Which meant that I had to completely re-format my book…
Talk about frustrating.
Trust me, it is worth the money to pay a few dollars a month to Microsoft and download Word to your computer. You can easily format your book and turn it into a pdf when you finish. Plus, it does have grammar and spelling hints.
Another good, solid program is Google Docs, which also works quite well and is free. I just prefer Word when it comes to writing a book and then publishing it.
Narrow Down Your Idea
When you first decide you want to write a book, you have an idea. It might be one that is general, but it also may be an idea that needs you to add a bigger view to.
For me, it helps to get my theme down and then just start writing. My words and organization are pretty disorganized, but this is how I get my story out.
I am not a fiction writer, but I usually have a theme in mind. The purpose for writing my book needs to be built around and sometimes I change the topic a bit.
For example, if you want to write about training your own guide dog, think about how you would like to explain the process.
Why do you think your method is best? What are you trying to convince me, the reader of? Writing a book remains your opinion on a topic and your attempt to convince me that you are right about what you write.
Make An Outline
Eventually, you will need to write an outline of your book plan. I admit, that when I write, my work looks a mess. Most would walk away from it at first because it doesn’t make sense to anyone but me.
Even then, my points are not refined. But, in order to write a book, you must lay out your plan and then organize your thoughts according to that plan.
If you choose to write about training a guide dog on your own, you may want to include the following outline.
- What you need a guide dog for.
- How to choose a good guide dog.
- Step by step training tips.
- Teaching a guide dog to assist the person it needs to help.
- Integrating your guide dog into a family.
- Getting the proper paperwork to make it official.
One you have this outline, you begin to write each chapter of your book and develop the topic. Sure, you may change your outline some, but starting with a framework will help you create a readable book.
Use Organized Writing
When you begin to write your book, filling in your outline, remember to write with writing structure in mind. You know, each paragraph has a topic sentence with details. Further, each chapter has a topic paragraph, with supporting paragraphs.
Using good quality writing includes crafting a story or how to that someone can follow. Sure, you can write a book that helps others, but can they read it and make it to the end? Can a reader follow your story or directions?
Organized and clear writing remains the glue that holds a book together.
Let It Sit
When you finish your book, you need to close out the word processor and leave it for a day or more. Just let the book sit, go clean house or bake a cake, then come back to it.
When you give time to pass and come back to your work, you will find more clarity in how to refine your book. What you discover is that your thoughts on the page need to be refined. Spell check missed a few words. Grammar check didn’t work, etc.
Putting distance between your book and yourself helps you focus better on your original goal, which is to write a book that others want to read.
Let Others Read It.
Not sure you are ready to step out into publishing a book? Have a friend or fellow writer read your book. This way, you ensure that your thoughts on the page match your message for writing the book in the first place.
Allowing someone else to read the book allows a new viewpoint to come into your book world and will only further define your writing purposes.
When you write a book, you want to get a message out to the world. Prepare the package so it is well received.
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
If you are not good at proofreading, either get a grammar program or hire someone. You will find out that you missed spelling and grammar issues the more you go over it.
Writing a whole book goes way beyond writing a blog post or article, so set aside time to check your work. Be critical and look for mistakes.
Two grammar apps that I know of that have both a free and a paid version are Grammarly and Ginger.
Publish Your Book
Now, while you can search for companies that will charge you a hefty fee to publish and print copies of your book, you can also self-publish on Amazon for a fraction of the cost.
Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon’s platform, helps you publish your book when you supply a pdf copy and a nice book cover on the digital Kindle platform. You can also use their Createspace platform to publish books in print, or an audio version of your book on their platform ACX.
Honestly, you can write a nice book format on Microsoft Word, just make sure you use the proper page dimensions required by Amazon. Further, add in the page numerations and title throughout your book. You can do all of this with a simple few clicks in Word.
Secondly, you can also create your own book cover by heading over to Canva and using their book cover templates. It only costs you a monthly fee to Canva and your own imagination to create a decent book cover with your byline and your book title.
Write a Book to Publish
When you first start on your journey to write a book, you may think you can’t do it. Yet, when you break it down into a few easy steps, you find yourself turning your passion into print!
Writing a book begins with your idea, then launches into a season of editing and finally publishing. When you just know you have to write it and you have the time, then, this is the way to do it.
Do you have a dream to write a book? Follow these steps to help you achieve it.
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