Published By: Puja Sinha

Tips to Get Started on Your Book

The art of meticulously progressing with your first literary project

How to intrinsically set yourself to begin with the book?

Develop Story Idea: You certainly do not need to sign up for online classes to stir the creative soul within you. To convert a randomly recurring idea into a plot for your book, devote hours to brainstorming sessions and plan a novel around this idea. Mind-mapping, freewriting and research will add layers of revisions and polish. These exercises would help you thicken the plot by introducing conflicts, an array of different characters, facts, motifs etc. irrespective of fiction or non-fiction. In a nutshell, allow yourself the mental space to let the seed flourish into a plant!

Draw Story Outline: Haphazardly beginning in the middle of nowhere has its perils—the writing becomes a mess and makes you lose track of progress. Approaching the literary project with discipline and dedication sorts out the gigantic task of collating information, idea, facts and complication, and producing a book that is both saleable and critically well-received. A well-drafted outline is a potent antidote to bouts of writer’s block. You will retain a clear sight of the plot or the book idea no matter how mentally drained or stuck you feel.

Set Work Environment: Your workstation or meditating space should be conducive to writing. It should inspire you to write, to vehemently engage in a writing spree. Be sure to de-clutter the space and push the area close to apertures so that it receives plenty of natural lights. Set a calendar to prevent productivity slump and assuredly progress with deadlines and literary goals. Incorporate a degree of flexibility in setting up the workspace. If you tend to feel asphyxiated working in the same corner for weeks on end, shift frequently.

Nurture Writing: Corporate life often sends a death blow to your artistic flair. It is up to you to consciously tend to and nurture the writing habit and make sure the book is not clogged within a series of what-ifs. Being in touch with creative writing, the flow of ideas and literary gems, your manuscript becomes more lucid, articulate and potential. This reduces both editorial involvement and hassles and anticipated refusals from publishing houses. You are better equipped to locate chinks in the manuscript for rectifications and improvements.

Be Attuned to Trends: Unless you have mailed an idea capable of churning perennial importance among readers, you need to stay contemporary. Being cognizant of what is contemporary, or recognising an idea that has the potential to yield success but has not been explored yet, could be the first stepping-stone.