Writing A Book - Why, When & How

How do you begin writing a novel? An example of how one certain author began one of his novels is this: He did not stop think, "How should I write this?" Novel writing is easier for some than others and on this day he was "worrying too much about the opening line." He worked on it constantly, believing if he got first sentence right, the remainder of the book might come out easily.

"It was a huge mistake," he said. "Days went by with me staring at blank paper and getting nowhere. Finally, I decided to start writing in the Dick and Jane style that first grade readers. Easy words, without worrying about style or polish-just to put the story on paper. I wrote, "There's this tiny town called Santa Vittoria. It's in Italy. The people of the town grow grapes and make wine. One day, not too long ago.." And so forth. It worked fine. Before long, I was writing all day long. The pages pile grew and I felt tremendously better."

Here are some suggestions on how to write a book or at least the aspects you should be mindful of. The opening should include:

• Main characters. Introduce them right away. At the very least, foreshadow the main characters.
• The main characters should be involved in some sort of conflict or stress. The action should begin quickly.
• Introduce not just the protagonist, but the antagonist as well. Readers should have the immediate opportunity to choose who they like.
• What could be lost? Important for this to be revealed early to build suspense and start work toward your climax.
• Where does this novel take place? Remember, tons of description is death for the reader. They'll be snoring in no time.
• Set a tone. Don't begin melodramatic and then change to humorous.
• The ending should always be foreshadowed. Give the readers a good reason to spend their time and read to the end.

Writing a Book - How and Why