The Little Writer's Group

Book Prepping

Welcome back everyone! I hope you're imaginations are brimming with creativity!

For this week I'll be showing you a simple yet effective method for organizing your ideas and preparing for the first draft. If you desire to share what you do in preparation for a new book, remember you are always welcome to share them in the comments. The more writers sharing their tips and writing methods, the better.

Writing a book demands a whole lot more steps than simply writing the book. Everything needs a little bit of preparation before you get started and writing a book isn't much different from baking a cake or sewing a shirt (who here bakes or sews?). A little preparation always makes writing a little easier and when you take the time to organize your ideas before diving into the first draft, you'll find you won't run into so many brick walls. I've always spent not enough time preparing and too much time getting writer's block and running into situations where my characters would go out of character. I hated being stuck and wanted to find a way to avoid it as much as possible. After mixing all my past methods for organizing ideas I created a routine that works best for me and I'm currently using it for Snow in the Sea and The Indoctrination Operation.

Step 1. Make a list of every little or giant thing you want to include in your story.

Step 2. Brain dump and continue adding to it as you come up with new ideas. Always write down every single idea you have even if it doesn't seem too extravagant at that moment.

Step 3. Do whatever research is necessary and add it to your list or on a separate note page.

Step 4. Write an extremely simple summary of your story and make an outline if it suits your fancy.

Step 5. Begin writing your first draft and continue adding to last four steps as needed.

This is a very basic routine so spice it up to match your personal writing techniques and make it fun! A quote to make you feel better is that the first draft is you telling yourself the story. Enjoy the rest of your week and remember to keep writing fun!

Question of the week: what's your favourite type of cake?