How To Start Writing A Book
“Just get it down on paper, and then we’ll see what to do with it.”
– Maxwell Perkins
“Getting it down on paper” is the tricky part to beginning a book. Especially if the idea for a book has been floating around in your head for a while, it’s hard to know how to start. Many writers also worry about what the first line of their book will sound like. They put a lot of pressure on themselves to come up with just the right words to form a classic opening line. It becomes extremely difficult to start, or to write any words at all when you are self-conscious about what they will sound like to others.
Here’s what to do. Start where you are, and just begin writing down what you are thinking in your head. Don’t think you have to start with page one; most successful writers rarely know the beginning when they start. It’s much easier to begin in the middle. The first chapter and first line may end up being the last thing you will write.
It’s perfectly fine if the first thing you write is a list. It could be a list of your main ideas, or a list of characters’ names, or anecdotes you want to make sure to include. Often people will start with a list, then think of a scene they know they want to write and go directly to that. Or, a list becomes an outline for the whole book.
Just keep putting down what’s in your head, and let yourself follow where that leads. Eventually, through the writing itself, you will be able to see the kind of book you have, and the next steps will become clear. You can turn those into a list of action items, then just keep showing up in your writing time, and check one off at a time.
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