Tips to get your book written and published

by Lynette Allen

Everyone has a book inside them don't you think? Since I've been published I've coached many people on how to start a flourishing writing career, many want to give up their day jobs, buy a house in the country and write with no pressure to their hearts contents. Of course, it's not really like that, reality kicks in with rejection letters, publishers wanting to change your initial ideas or not liking your style of writing and as for retiring to a country house? Well you might find you have to keep your day job for a bit longer!

There are however a few secrets to getting that creative talent of yours under way and noticed. Some common questions people ask me are, "I've got so many ideas but will anyone else like them?", "How on earth do I start writing on a blank piece of paper?", "I can't spell to save my life" and the other and probably most familiar one is, "I haven't had the time to start!", which of course means one of two things, either you have plenty of free time but always fill that time with jobs other than the process of sitting down and writing or, you haven't thought through your ideas clearly enough to know how to transfer them from memory to paper. Well, I'm going to let you in on a few secrets of mine and how I now coach my clients to write. I've also tapped my own agent and editor, Fiona Spencer Thomas, for her top tips on how to actually get the thing published once it's written and her word is definitely to be taken seriously, so if you're serious about putting pen to paper then read on, get enthused and be ready to start that book of yours.

Tip 1 - When, where, how

Let's start with 'When'. When do you actually plan to sit down and write? How many hours a week do you have where you could take yourself off somewhere and write uninterrupted? These are the first 2 questions that I ask my clients. The answers vary depending on if you've got children, husbands or careers but if you're serious about writing, then you first need to find out when would be a good time. Another thing to think about is, "What time of day would you be best at?", "Are you a morning person or would you rather scribble away deep into the night when everyone else is asleep?" Writing with your body clock and not against it will give you energy and enthusiasm, try to fight it and you'll lose interested quickly.

Next we have 'Where'. Some people prefer to write at home curled up on the sofa, others in a trendy café somewhere, where would you feel most able to focus and avoid interruption? Home may not necessarily be the best place, there's all that housework staring you in the face and the phone ringing, so don't rule out the possibility of writing at the beach, in your car, at your mothers house or in a hotel lobby. It actually doesn't matter where you write, as long as it's comfortable and you're able to relax and focus.

Lastly, 'How' do you plan on writing, are you a pen and paper lover or would you feel lost without your laptop? It might even be that your writing is illegible and your computer skills are vague to say the least, if this is the case, record your voice and get someone you trust to type it up. Writing really can be as versatile as you want it to be, be creative with this and you'll have much more fun with it. At this stage, you're thinking about being as happy as possible in your environment and with your tools (i.e. the pen or the laptop) at this stage, it's more important to get the words onto the page. Once you've worked out when, where and how, it's time to nail yourself down and write a time next in your diary to start. Treat it as an actual appointment with yourself, don't move it for anyone and if you're embarrassed about probing questions from friends or giggles from family members, don't tell them, just say 'I'm working'.

Tip 2 - Where do you start?

Again it doesn't actually matter where you start. If you were a builder, building a block of flats, you'd have to start at the bottom, you have no choice, but as a writer you can start anywhere. Start by describing your main character if it's a novel you're writing, start at the end, in the middle or in a particularly dramatic scene, the secret is this, once you start, it's incredibly easy to carry on writing, ideas flow very naturally, get interested in your product, get involved with the characters and let your ideas rip! At this point it is completely unimportant about grammar, spelling, rambling or waffling. In between all your writing, if you're lucky, there'll be a strong plot, interesting characters and twists to keep the reader alert, my last piece of advice on this? Don't get carried away with the 'How much have I done?' bit - completely useless to you and will simply hold up your creative flow. Forget word count at this stage, just get nosey in the characters, get interested in the plot and if it helps think of the five most important things you'd love your reader to know after they've finished your book, that should your brain working over time!

Tip 3 - Write about what you know

Write about what you know. If its fiction and you used to be in the supermarket industry or you're an office worker or a mum of five, divorced, adopted, in the entertainment industry, whatever your background, write about what you know and you'll find it much easier than worrying about if your plot is feasible or not. If its true life you're writing about, make sure you get permission from those in your book, make sure they're completely happy to be a part of your project. It might help to get a skeleton together and by that I mean, use the 'Five Thing' theory. Come up with five things your reader has to know by the time they've finished, then under each heading write another five things that should be in that section, do that for each heading and you'll have five major headings followed by 25 sub headings and then just take one sub heading at a time and start writing about it. This might be quite a structured way of starting but when the manuscript is finished you will be able to make it look far more natural and less structured, again don't get carried away by that at this stage, just get your information down.

Now a word from my Editor and Agent, Fiona Spencer Thomas:

• Do your research - check the competition on the market if it's non fiction and, if fiction, see what is selling in genre and style. Browse bookshops, scour Amazon.
• These days few publishers will look at unsolicited manuscripts so put together a succinct proposal which will convince an agent to take you on. This should include qualifications, experience, contacts, etc. In the case of a complete fiction manuscript, try and include some plaudits from high profile names.
• Write a sample chapter or two as evidence of style and include with an outline of the book with chapter headings for non fiction and the plot for fiction.
• We live in a literate world and many people have a book idea they would like to write. Think carefully before embarking on a long project whether you have something that will really sell. Publishers are looking for sales volume and list building.
• Lastly, if you're convinced you have good material, don't be disheartened by rejection. Some of the most famous authors have been rejected more times than they'd like to admit.

If you think you could be the next JK Rowling or a bit of a Danielle Steele, don't put your work down before you've even started, get passionate and don't let excuses stand in the way of your creativity or you'll be one of those people sat in your rocking chair at 97 saying 'I could have written a book!'.

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