Many people have dreams of writing a book someday, but it is difficult to get started. You have broken ideas, many of which make no sense, you have little time to devote to the task, and you have a hard time getting started in the first place. If you want to write a book, how are you supposed to get started? What should you do first?
Many people have the desire to write, but not the inspiration. This is not a problem, however, if you follow a few simple techniques that have proven effective for many writers over time. Whether you’ve been published before, or are brand new to the idea, you can easily find that you need additional inspiration in order to write the perfect book for your business. Below are a few tips that could help you in your quest to write.
Visit Blogs on the Internet
There are blogs for just about any topic these days, so it should be easy to find one that offers information on the topic you’re considering writing about. Even if you have no starting point, going to different blogs that you are interested in may spark your imagination and enable you to get a few ideas on what you’d like to write about.
Books and Magazines
If you’re a writer or potential writer, you should be a ravenous reader as well. Reading books and magazines, especially those written by your favorite authors, can often expand your interest in a specific subject and make you want to write about it even more.
Lines from Movies or Overheard Dialogue
If you’re searching for the perfect topic for your book, you need to be on the lookout at all times. Listen to others’ conversations, think about lines from your favorite movies – anything that is conversational and relaxed. These true-to-life dialogues are easy to get ideas from when you wish to write a book. Even personal conversations with your own friends may accomplish the task. Carry a small notebook or capture the ideas on your phone.
Art and Music
Artwork and various musical artists are both part of the artist genre, so visiting an art museum or listening to your favorite recording artist can sometimes give you ideas before you start writing. Plagiarism is wrong, of course, but simply getting ideas from them can be a huge help.
Groups that Encourage Writing
Groups designed for writers and would-be writers are everywhere, and many of them meet either weekly or monthly. There is nothing quite like being with other writers, and sometimes you can even get a lot of inspiration and encouragement from these like-minded people. Check out Meetups in your area or join online groups, like my new Facebook group for starting and finishing your book.
Quotes from Other People
Quotes can be found everywhere. Websites such as Love Quotes and Quotations offer not only quotes, but also motivation for beginning your writing. These quotes can be from famous people, movie characters or everyday people. They can also give you excellent ideas for your writing.
Historical Figures
Everyone has a celebrity or other famous figure that they admire. These include everyone from movie stars and other celebrities to people like Helen Keller, Andy Warhol and Leonardo da Vinci, all of whom have said or done something that can easily give the would-be writer some new ideas. Even religious figures like Buddha and Jesus can easily inspire someone who wants to start writing.
Nature and Exercise
Taking a walk and participating in some form of exercise are excellent ways to come up with ideas for writing a book. Not only does it clear your head and enable you to think better, but an exercise in any form often results in ideas merely popping into your mind without any effort on your part.
Brainstorming and Free-Writing
It may sound crazy, but when you’re suffering from “writer’s block,” take out a pencil and a piece of paper and just start writing. It doesn’t matter what you write – just put pencil to paper, and often the ideas will just come. This method of brainstorming is one of the most effective techniques for writers.
Watching People
Another technique is going to a public place – the mall, a park, a schoolyard – and participating in people watching. This activity will often give you some ideas on what to write about.
Meditate
Meditation is a relaxation technique that is extremely effective for many purposes. Spending time by yourself with a clear mind often results in coming up with ideas that you didn’t even realize you could think up. Even meditating for a mere ten minutes can enable you to continue on your writing quest.
Some Additional Tips
Even if you are an experienced writer, you can still run out of ideas and inspiration when working on your next project. Often, you can have ideas but be unsure about the specific details. When this happens, composing a basic outline might help. Write down ideas for each chapter of your book, so that you can have a long-term plan to work on in a per-chapter manner. Of course, the outline will likely change once you start developing your chapters, as new ideas will be thought of and you may have to change directions, but this is a good starting point when you’ve reached a writer’s block.
Another trick that has helped many writers is similar to the pencil-to-paper idea above, except that it involves your computer. Sit at your computer and start typing, even if you’re unsure of what you want to write about at first. You may stop occasionally to think up some additional ideas, but simply starting your typing usually results in some amazing ideas being developed.
All writers get writer’s block once in a while, but there are many ways to combat this problem. You can get inspiration from almost anywhere, and going to the Internet is both a good way to start and an excellent thing to go back to whenever you’re trying to get ideas on what to write about. Most of all, not giving up is the most important thing you can do if you want to begin and complete your book as thousands of writers before you have already figured out.
Remember that your book can become an excellent marketing tool for your business. The sooner you get started the sooner you will finish and begin your marketing journey.
