Bill’s Guide to Writing a Book
I have written five books, two of which are in editing, but have sold fewer than 100. So, you probably ask, “Why should I read your guide?” Good question. In my experience, looking at several sources is essential to understanding something important. Once you have enough information from these sources, jump into the project. Thus, there is value in my tangled words because I have made many mistakes. This is a three-part blog; the next entries cover publishing and marketing.
So … You have never written a book and want to write one. Where to start? Before we get into writing, there are some crucial tasks.
1) Get a Goodreads account, an Amazon account, and an Amazon author’s account. Then, post reviews for every book you have read on both sites. Your goal will be two per day and at least 200 reviews. Important tip. Review only the books you liked. Why? Karma and getting into a mindset of success. In addition, this effort will prepare you for a critical task—the book blurb. Your goal will be to get into the mindset of the people who want to buy your book. Also, it would help if you could get into the philosophy of creating something people want. And finally, get into the mindset of getting excellent reviews.
2) Join Facebook/Twitter/popular online sites and write a short (author) bio about yourself. If you already have an account, create a new page dedicated to your author’s activities. Post stuff about your writing, books, stories, and book-related interests. Important tip: Post only light-hearted stuff. If you like/hate famous person X, keep it to yourself, because many potential customers love X. Your goal is to build hype. “Hey, just about to release my book.” “Wow! I will have to buy it!” Your goal is not, “X is a jerk.”
3) Join a writer’s forum like the Facebook group Writers Helping Writers. Important tip. Start by reading lots of posts before posting. I recommend at least two weeks. Then post as often as you can, even if it is just a “thumbs up” to somebody else’s comments. Another excellent post is “That makes sense.” Your goal is to get yourself out there and gain writing tips.
4) READ A LOT. At least two hours a day. Try to read in the same area (like romance) you are thinking of publishing. This will improve your writing ability and develop style/ideas. It will also put you in the mindset of writing for others. Read a variety of authors, including non-famous authors. Look for mistakes and think about how YOU would fix the problem.
5) Start a blog. I have one on Goodreads, Facebook, Tumblr, and Medium. Talk about how your writing is going, what books you enjoy, and what it means to be a writer. Keep it high-level. No politics or other controversial topics unless your writing intends to offend people. If so, tread lightly.
6) Start thinking about marketing and do research in your book topic area. This is a long, laborious, and expensive journey. “Writing a book is 99% self-promotion and 1% other.” -Me
7) Get a computer with Microsoft Word. You can pick up a 2016 copy of Microsoft Word for $30 on eBay. No excuses! Do not use OpenOffice! Despite all the Microsoft evil, they make a great product. This choice avoids issues like, “It looks good on the screen, but when I print, the margins do not line up.” All professional writers use Microsoft Word, which is what editors, print/ebook formatters, and publishers expect.
If you do not consider yourself a professional writer (or are at least trying to be one), you must ask yourself why you are undertaking this journey. Trust me, a lot of hard work lies ahead, and you need the right tools. In addition, you can find the answer when you have a Microsoft Word question. Worst case, you can pay a Microsoft expert. OpenOffice? Yeah, good luck figuring out why the margins are not printing correctly.
8) I strongly recommend paying for the full version of Grammarly and ProWritingAid. (Ensure you only use the Grammarly Word plug-in, not the Windows application.) These two programs will save you time, money, and nasty reviews. In addition, your blogs and book reviews should all pass through these programs.
9) BACK UP YOUR WORK EVERY DAY!! The number of times I read, “My computer got stolen, and I lost five years of work.” Get a memory stick, back up ONCE A WEEK, and put the stick in a fireproof safe. They are less than $50 when on sale. NO EXCUSES! Install a virus checker and keep your computer up to date.
Let’s begin the writing process.
First off, you have a BIG decision. Is this for fun or profit? If it is for fun, the pressure is off, and you can write anything you want without consequence. Who cares if you ever make a buck? Who cares about a grammar, plot, or character mistake? However, once you go down the fun path, there is NO TURING BACK because you will have a trail of shoddy work. On the other hand, if you want to write for profit and fail, you can change your goal to writing for fun.
Writing for profit means having a professional mindset and a serious attitude toward the best possible work. Also, you will need to spend big for an experienced editor, a copy editor (sometimes called a proofreader), a cover designer, and a formatter. Stop and ask yourself if you have it inside of you.
How much and how long will it take? At least a year and $8,000+ (per book). Yes, that is a lot of money. But if you are resourceful, you can find helpers, intelligent tips, and people you can beg, but there are no shortcuts.
Let’s say you use a shortcut like not having your work professionally edited. Trust me. Readers and critics will tear your book apart no matter how hard you try or how good your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are. (Or the “grammar expert friend” you asked to check out your work). If you fail to have a professional edit your work, you will get 1-star reviews like, “A 5-year-old wrote this book.” A 1-star review is CRUSHING to an author. PAYING readers expect heavily polished works. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing correctly.” -Some famous person.
What topic should you write about? Unfortunately, I cannot help in this area. Your story has to come from within you, and you need to be 1,500% passionate about it. This will be a long road, and you will waste your time if you do not have a deep passion.
Now that you have a written concept, go over it several times until 200% confident. Now, do some research. If somebody has done the idea, start over. Copy concepts only get 1-star reviews, even if they are excellent. “This is just a poor Harry Potter re-write. Don’t bother reading!”
Remember, your work needs to stand out. How much? 40%. (I have discovered that 40% is an essential estimate for books and life.) Another part of your concept must have a solid story foundation that is not too far away from other books you have read. Look at the various categories on Amazon.com and ask yourself, “Which category would my work be in? What books are already there? How does my idea stand up to these books? Would readers of book X like my work?” Readers will have difficulty connecting to a work that does not fit the standard categories. “A flying cat that solves mysteries.” Umm, try again. “A talking dog that solves mysteries. That is Scooby Doo.” Try again.
Now, show your paragraph to friends and ask them what they think. If people seem apprehensive or take a long time pondering the concept, start over. Even a random person can spot a lousy idea. “Wilber the farting bulldozer.” “I’m not sure about this.” “Parents might not want their kids reading about a death circle.”
What is your hook? What magic will make people want to “buy it now?” I often read the same bad ideas posted to Writers Helping Writers. “I had a messed-up life and want to write my story.” I typically reply, “What is your hook?” “My life was so bad that people will naturally want to read about me.” Writers seem to think their lives are unique. Why would I ever want to read about a nobody who had a messed-up life? Where is the hero? Why should I feel sorry for you? Where is the spunk? What did I learn? HOW DOES THIS HELP ME?
Here is a simple book by Caitlin Doughty with a great hook: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. It is an exciting account of a funeral home worker and her life. Lots of info and insight. Did the author have a terrible childhood? Yes, but that was not the focus. She focused on the behind-the-scenes work at the funeral home. Side note: I gave the book a positive review on Goodreads and Amazon. Why? Because it was interesting, and I got something out of the story. Great job, Caitlin!
Ok, you have a hook, and people like your summary paragraph. Next step. Does this concept have marketing potential? My advice for answering this is to post your idea to a writer’s group and ask for their marketing opinion. Even better, pay for the opinion of a professional book person who knows the publishing industry. How do you find such a person? Ask a writer’s group for advice. If your feedback is negative, radically tweak the concept or start from scratch.
Side note: The book market has changed and will continue to change. For example, western books were all the rage in the 50-70s, now, that market is almost nonexistent. So look up your book’s area and make sure readers are interested.
You are ready to begin when you are at least 40% sure you have a marketable concept. Start with some basic questions. How do you see the story unfolding? When are you going to introduce your main character? How is the book structured? Get the entire plot clear in your head before picking up a pen.
This next step is my most important piece of advice. When you have the entire plot wholly vetted, write an outline. This outline is for you, so do not get too wrapped up in making it look great. The goal is to develop a simple guide that shows how the story flows. There are many book outline formats, including the flower method. You can also use Post-its, a whiteboard, or 3x5 cards. I have found Visio to be an excellent method of organizing my thoughts.
My other technique is what I call “a bulky paragraph,” and here is an example:
They travel around Italy. [Research towns in Italy. Find one near the coast.] X find evil man H, he is in a bad way, not good at making money, confront him, argument, X feels the evil for the first time. (chapter break) Learns H has been killing many people to steal their money. X captured by evil army W, escape. H reveals he did not find the secret and said, “Damn. What would Jake do?”
That is an AWFUL mess, but I wrote it for ME, and now I know the exact plot. And you do, too, which is the point. Notice the sample dialogue, notes, and use of letters for names. Remember, the idea is to get the story’s essence and show flow. When you have completed your outline, go over it several times.
Take a high-level view and pay attention to how the plot unfolds and the motivation. LOOK FOR PLOT ERRORS! How did the killer get the gun? Why didn’t people hear the shot? The killer could have simply taken the subway to escape. Where was the mother during all of this?
At this outline stage, it is fine to make VAST changes, such as moving chapters and altering the main plot. Now, hit your plot with serious questions. What would happen if we changed the main character’s gender? Should I introduce the main character in chapter three? What would happen if there were two main characters? Can a reader follow this? How big is the hook? What will improve the story? What does the reader care about? What distracts the reader? Do I have too many subplots? WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION? Is this fun? Is this interesting? What is the side plot?
When you are confident, show the outline to somebody. It should be written barely well enough to get feedback. Listen, and do not be afraid to make bold changes.
Why should you spend so much time on your outline? Once you finish your first draft, a significant change is complex and will have big consequences. For example, change the main character’s gender. Sounds easy, but a single he/she mistake will result in multiple 1-star reviews. A subtler issue occurs with the character’s mindset. “She drove her pickup truck like a bad-ass boss!!!” This sentence has valid dialogue, but readers would think, “A woman would not say it that way.” Readers are great at picking up flaws, and their comments will be brutal.
Next, start a character biography including basic details. Here is an example:
Smith Family
Mom=Karen, Father=Joe, Son=James. Cat=Mr. Tumbles. Live at 1010 East Street. Joe looks like an angry Darth Vader.
As you write, add facts to the biography and periodically check facts. Also, you can copy parts of your book here, like a character description (like hair color), for later reference. Then, check the fact sheet while writing. Making a mistake, such as calling the father Joey instead of Joe, is huge. Readers HATE basic errors. Important tip: Do not have two characters with the same first or last name unless they are related.
To help, use an online random name generator. They are available for different countries, medieval times, and science fiction. My advice is to keep hitting the generate button until something pops. “Joey Turner sounds like a good name for my villain.” Do not use your family/friend names. This gets too confusing and can lead to issues with actual people.
Alright, we have a solid outline and character biography. Begin writing! To help, use my dialogue integration format:
Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.”
“Wow, what a great day,” Tim commented. “I will have to go to the market.”
“Wow, what a great day,” he commented. “I will have to go to the market.” (Did you see the lowercase “he”)
“Big dialogue paragraph ending without a quote.
“Next dialogue paragraph begins with a quote.”
Small paragraph. Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.” (Only integrate small amounts of dialogue into a paragraph.)
Big paragraph. (No dialogue.)
Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.”
Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.”
“Sounds great,” Sally replied.
“I will work on that.”
(There is no need to mention who is speaking for the next three lines of dialogue. Then, you must add something before, during or after the dialogue so the reader knows who is speaking. My rule is one identifier per four lines of dialogue or when the speaker’s identity is unclear.)
For thoughts, use italics instead of quotes, but treat them the same as above. (Except use “thought” in place of “said.”) Do not overuse the word “said.” Instead, use a variety of words. Commented, believed, inferred, questioned, or wondered. English experts may disagree with my format, but if you use this format, you will please 95% of your readers. This format will also make it much easier for editors to polish.
Keep in mind that your dialogue has to keep the story moving. Also, remember that the reader is not a mind reader, so the dialogue has to make sense in the context of non-dialogue. Do not get too caught up in slang, obscure words, made-up words, or inside jokes. Dialogue is critical for the story, and this is where the emotions come out. “Ohh, that sucked,” Bill said in a hurt voice.
My overall dialogue management method is to visualize a character and imagine them speaking. This includes assigning a personality (which should be in your character biography). I also imagine my characters from people I know or from movie characters, like Tom Hanks in Cast Away. I would then think about this movie character when I write. “That’s a superb idea,” Bob said in an uplifting voice.
In the film, Tom Hanks’s character would never say, “Golly gee, that’s goody-goody.” Now, the character Shaggy from Scooby Doo probably would.
If you get stuck, exercise (I get my best ideas during bike rides), talk to people, post on writing groups, and take time off. A moderate amount of red wine also helps. Top tip. Other alcohol choices do not help. Guess how I know?
Another tip is to write at a fixed time, say, two hours, starting at 6:00. IMPORTANT TIP: Learn to recognize when you are not in the mood to write. If you force yourself to write, the results will be terrible. Also, have other work ready to switch to for a brief distraction (like working on the plot for your next book).
Yay, you finished your first draft!
Read over your work and edit at least five times with no specific goal. Then, make one pass for: consistency, dialogue, punctuation, spelling, flow, and CHECK FACTS. Now, make two non-specific passes. Trust me. This effort will create better work and save heartache. Typically, I do 20 editing passes, including TWO Grammarly and ProWritingAid passes.
Quick tip: Make a file called temp. Use this to hold large text segments for copying. Also, copy the text here for Grammarly and ProWritingAid, then paste the updated text into your main document. Why? Grammarly and ProWritingAid take forever on large documents.
What is flow? It is how one sentence leads to the next. It is how one paragraph integrates with the next. The reader should never have to stop and think about who is saying what. “I’m confused. Where did the killer come from?” “What does this word mean?” This should be in the back of your mind during self-editing.
One more step. You need a title. Brainstorm at least 20 titles. First, cross out all the titles that already exist. Also, cross them out if they are even remotely related to a famous title. “Hunting Red October Tomatoes” “The Sorcerer’s Stone” With a friend’s help, narrow the list to one. It should be edgy, tight, and provocative.
The next step is a beta read. But how do you know you are ready? Simple: track your self-editing. How many changes did you make on your last self-edit? If there are many (more than one per three pages), you are not ready.
You want your beta reader to locate significant big-picture issues, point out character flaws, and make comments. You are not looking for grammar/spelling issues, but it is nice when they find them. (That is the editor’s job.) Plus, you, Grammarly, and ProWritingAid should have already found them. If you get many grammar/spelling issues from your beta reader, this indicates another problem. It might be a beta reader’s lack of experience, or your grammar and spelling are below average.
The comments you want are: “This makes little sense.” “I don’t think Sam would do this.” “Seems unrealistic.” “More explanation.” “How did they get the job?” “More description here.” “Too much information.” “I do not think female readers would like this.” Then, make another five edits, including a Grammarly and ProWritingAid pass. At this time, there should be no plot issues, logic errors, or wrong facts, and the flow is excellent.
Next, format. Use New Times Roman, single-spaced, size 11, for all words. All the margins and tabs should be the same. One space between the period and the next sentence. Why all the formatting effort? You do not want to waste the editor’s time with formatting issues. Later, the formatter will change the format for publishing.
Next, find an editor. How? Look for editor reviews. ALWAYS ask for a sample document that they have edited. Look at their edits, comments, questions, notes, encouragements, and suggestions. (If you do not see additional thoughts, DO NOT USE THIS EDITOR.) Look at how the document improved and see if you can spot missed errors.
So … You have never written a book and want to write one. Where to start? Before we get into writing, there are some crucial tasks.
1) Get a Goodreads account, an Amazon account, and an Amazon author’s account. Then, post reviews for every book you have read on both sites. Your goal will be two per day and at least 200 reviews. Important tip. Review only the books you liked. Why? Karma and getting into a mindset of success. In addition, this effort will prepare you for a critical task—the book blurb. Your goal will be to get into the mindset of the people who want to buy your book. Also, it would help if you could get into the philosophy of creating something people want. And finally, get into the mindset of getting excellent reviews.
2) Join Facebook/Twitter/popular online sites and write a short (author) bio about yourself. If you already have an account, create a new page dedicated to your author’s activities. Post stuff about your writing, books, stories, and book-related interests. Important tip: Post only light-hearted stuff. If you like/hate famous person X, keep it to yourself, because many potential customers love X. Your goal is to build hype. “Hey, just about to release my book.” “Wow! I will have to buy it!” Your goal is not, “X is a jerk.”
3) Join a writer’s forum like the Facebook group Writers Helping Writers. Important tip. Start by reading lots of posts before posting. I recommend at least two weeks. Then post as often as you can, even if it is just a “thumbs up” to somebody else’s comments. Another excellent post is “That makes sense.” Your goal is to get yourself out there and gain writing tips.
4) READ A LOT. At least two hours a day. Try to read in the same area (like romance) you are thinking of publishing. This will improve your writing ability and develop style/ideas. It will also put you in the mindset of writing for others. Read a variety of authors, including non-famous authors. Look for mistakes and think about how YOU would fix the problem.
5) Start a blog. I have one on Goodreads, Facebook, Tumblr, and Medium. Talk about how your writing is going, what books you enjoy, and what it means to be a writer. Keep it high-level. No politics or other controversial topics unless your writing intends to offend people. If so, tread lightly.
6) Start thinking about marketing and do research in your book topic area. This is a long, laborious, and expensive journey. “Writing a book is 99% self-promotion and 1% other.” -Me
7) Get a computer with Microsoft Word. You can pick up a 2016 copy of Microsoft Word for $30 on eBay. No excuses! Do not use OpenOffice! Despite all the Microsoft evil, they make a great product. This choice avoids issues like, “It looks good on the screen, but when I print, the margins do not line up.” All professional writers use Microsoft Word, which is what editors, print/ebook formatters, and publishers expect.
If you do not consider yourself a professional writer (or are at least trying to be one), you must ask yourself why you are undertaking this journey. Trust me, a lot of hard work lies ahead, and you need the right tools. In addition, you can find the answer when you have a Microsoft Word question. Worst case, you can pay a Microsoft expert. OpenOffice? Yeah, good luck figuring out why the margins are not printing correctly.
8) I strongly recommend paying for the full version of Grammarly and ProWritingAid. (Ensure you only use the Grammarly Word plug-in, not the Windows application.) These two programs will save you time, money, and nasty reviews. In addition, your blogs and book reviews should all pass through these programs.
9) BACK UP YOUR WORK EVERY DAY!! The number of times I read, “My computer got stolen, and I lost five years of work.” Get a memory stick, back up ONCE A WEEK, and put the stick in a fireproof safe. They are less than $50 when on sale. NO EXCUSES! Install a virus checker and keep your computer up to date.
Let’s begin the writing process.
First off, you have a BIG decision. Is this for fun or profit? If it is for fun, the pressure is off, and you can write anything you want without consequence. Who cares if you ever make a buck? Who cares about a grammar, plot, or character mistake? However, once you go down the fun path, there is NO TURING BACK because you will have a trail of shoddy work. On the other hand, if you want to write for profit and fail, you can change your goal to writing for fun.
Writing for profit means having a professional mindset and a serious attitude toward the best possible work. Also, you will need to spend big for an experienced editor, a copy editor (sometimes called a proofreader), a cover designer, and a formatter. Stop and ask yourself if you have it inside of you.
How much and how long will it take? At least a year and $8,000+ (per book). Yes, that is a lot of money. But if you are resourceful, you can find helpers, intelligent tips, and people you can beg, but there are no shortcuts.
Let’s say you use a shortcut like not having your work professionally edited. Trust me. Readers and critics will tear your book apart no matter how hard you try or how good your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are. (Or the “grammar expert friend” you asked to check out your work). If you fail to have a professional edit your work, you will get 1-star reviews like, “A 5-year-old wrote this book.” A 1-star review is CRUSHING to an author. PAYING readers expect heavily polished works. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing correctly.” -Some famous person.
What topic should you write about? Unfortunately, I cannot help in this area. Your story has to come from within you, and you need to be 1,500% passionate about it. This will be a long road, and you will waste your time if you do not have a deep passion.
Now that you have a written concept, go over it several times until 200% confident. Now, do some research. If somebody has done the idea, start over. Copy concepts only get 1-star reviews, even if they are excellent. “This is just a poor Harry Potter re-write. Don’t bother reading!”
Remember, your work needs to stand out. How much? 40%. (I have discovered that 40% is an essential estimate for books and life.) Another part of your concept must have a solid story foundation that is not too far away from other books you have read. Look at the various categories on Amazon.com and ask yourself, “Which category would my work be in? What books are already there? How does my idea stand up to these books? Would readers of book X like my work?” Readers will have difficulty connecting to a work that does not fit the standard categories. “A flying cat that solves mysteries.” Umm, try again. “A talking dog that solves mysteries. That is Scooby Doo.” Try again.
Now, show your paragraph to friends and ask them what they think. If people seem apprehensive or take a long time pondering the concept, start over. Even a random person can spot a lousy idea. “Wilber the farting bulldozer.” “I’m not sure about this.” “Parents might not want their kids reading about a death circle.”
What is your hook? What magic will make people want to “buy it now?” I often read the same bad ideas posted to Writers Helping Writers. “I had a messed-up life and want to write my story.” I typically reply, “What is your hook?” “My life was so bad that people will naturally want to read about me.” Writers seem to think their lives are unique. Why would I ever want to read about a nobody who had a messed-up life? Where is the hero? Why should I feel sorry for you? Where is the spunk? What did I learn? HOW DOES THIS HELP ME?
Here is a simple book by Caitlin Doughty with a great hook: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. It is an exciting account of a funeral home worker and her life. Lots of info and insight. Did the author have a terrible childhood? Yes, but that was not the focus. She focused on the behind-the-scenes work at the funeral home. Side note: I gave the book a positive review on Goodreads and Amazon. Why? Because it was interesting, and I got something out of the story. Great job, Caitlin!
Ok, you have a hook, and people like your summary paragraph. Next step. Does this concept have marketing potential? My advice for answering this is to post your idea to a writer’s group and ask for their marketing opinion. Even better, pay for the opinion of a professional book person who knows the publishing industry. How do you find such a person? Ask a writer’s group for advice. If your feedback is negative, radically tweak the concept or start from scratch.
Side note: The book market has changed and will continue to change. For example, western books were all the rage in the 50-70s, now, that market is almost nonexistent. So look up your book’s area and make sure readers are interested.
You are ready to begin when you are at least 40% sure you have a marketable concept. Start with some basic questions. How do you see the story unfolding? When are you going to introduce your main character? How is the book structured? Get the entire plot clear in your head before picking up a pen.
This next step is my most important piece of advice. When you have the entire plot wholly vetted, write an outline. This outline is for you, so do not get too wrapped up in making it look great. The goal is to develop a simple guide that shows how the story flows. There are many book outline formats, including the flower method. You can also use Post-its, a whiteboard, or 3x5 cards. I have found Visio to be an excellent method of organizing my thoughts.
My other technique is what I call “a bulky paragraph,” and here is an example:
They travel around Italy. [Research towns in Italy. Find one near the coast.] X find evil man H, he is in a bad way, not good at making money, confront him, argument, X feels the evil for the first time. (chapter break) Learns H has been killing many people to steal their money. X captured by evil army W, escape. H reveals he did not find the secret and said, “Damn. What would Jake do?”
That is an AWFUL mess, but I wrote it for ME, and now I know the exact plot. And you do, too, which is the point. Notice the sample dialogue, notes, and use of letters for names. Remember, the idea is to get the story’s essence and show flow. When you have completed your outline, go over it several times.
Take a high-level view and pay attention to how the plot unfolds and the motivation. LOOK FOR PLOT ERRORS! How did the killer get the gun? Why didn’t people hear the shot? The killer could have simply taken the subway to escape. Where was the mother during all of this?
At this outline stage, it is fine to make VAST changes, such as moving chapters and altering the main plot. Now, hit your plot with serious questions. What would happen if we changed the main character’s gender? Should I introduce the main character in chapter three? What would happen if there were two main characters? Can a reader follow this? How big is the hook? What will improve the story? What does the reader care about? What distracts the reader? Do I have too many subplots? WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION? Is this fun? Is this interesting? What is the side plot?
When you are confident, show the outline to somebody. It should be written barely well enough to get feedback. Listen, and do not be afraid to make bold changes.
Why should you spend so much time on your outline? Once you finish your first draft, a significant change is complex and will have big consequences. For example, change the main character’s gender. Sounds easy, but a single he/she mistake will result in multiple 1-star reviews. A subtler issue occurs with the character’s mindset. “She drove her pickup truck like a bad-ass boss!!!” This sentence has valid dialogue, but readers would think, “A woman would not say it that way.” Readers are great at picking up flaws, and their comments will be brutal.
Next, start a character biography including basic details. Here is an example:
Smith Family
Mom=Karen, Father=Joe, Son=James. Cat=Mr. Tumbles. Live at 1010 East Street. Joe looks like an angry Darth Vader.
As you write, add facts to the biography and periodically check facts. Also, you can copy parts of your book here, like a character description (like hair color), for later reference. Then, check the fact sheet while writing. Making a mistake, such as calling the father Joey instead of Joe, is huge. Readers HATE basic errors. Important tip: Do not have two characters with the same first or last name unless they are related.
To help, use an online random name generator. They are available for different countries, medieval times, and science fiction. My advice is to keep hitting the generate button until something pops. “Joey Turner sounds like a good name for my villain.” Do not use your family/friend names. This gets too confusing and can lead to issues with actual people.
Alright, we have a solid outline and character biography. Begin writing! To help, use my dialogue integration format:
Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.”
“Wow, what a great day,” Tim commented. “I will have to go to the market.”
“Wow, what a great day,” he commented. “I will have to go to the market.” (Did you see the lowercase “he”)
“Big dialogue paragraph ending without a quote.
“Next dialogue paragraph begins with a quote.”
Small paragraph. Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.” (Only integrate small amounts of dialogue into a paragraph.)
Big paragraph. (No dialogue.)
Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.”
Tim was happy and said, “That’s good.”
“Sounds great,” Sally replied.
“I will work on that.”
(There is no need to mention who is speaking for the next three lines of dialogue. Then, you must add something before, during or after the dialogue so the reader knows who is speaking. My rule is one identifier per four lines of dialogue or when the speaker’s identity is unclear.)
For thoughts, use italics instead of quotes, but treat them the same as above. (Except use “thought” in place of “said.”) Do not overuse the word “said.” Instead, use a variety of words. Commented, believed, inferred, questioned, or wondered. English experts may disagree with my format, but if you use this format, you will please 95% of your readers. This format will also make it much easier for editors to polish.
Keep in mind that your dialogue has to keep the story moving. Also, remember that the reader is not a mind reader, so the dialogue has to make sense in the context of non-dialogue. Do not get too caught up in slang, obscure words, made-up words, or inside jokes. Dialogue is critical for the story, and this is where the emotions come out. “Ohh, that sucked,” Bill said in a hurt voice.
My overall dialogue management method is to visualize a character and imagine them speaking. This includes assigning a personality (which should be in your character biography). I also imagine my characters from people I know or from movie characters, like Tom Hanks in Cast Away. I would then think about this movie character when I write. “That’s a superb idea,” Bob said in an uplifting voice.
In the film, Tom Hanks’s character would never say, “Golly gee, that’s goody-goody.” Now, the character Shaggy from Scooby Doo probably would.
If you get stuck, exercise (I get my best ideas during bike rides), talk to people, post on writing groups, and take time off. A moderate amount of red wine also helps. Top tip. Other alcohol choices do not help. Guess how I know?
Another tip is to write at a fixed time, say, two hours, starting at 6:00. IMPORTANT TIP: Learn to recognize when you are not in the mood to write. If you force yourself to write, the results will be terrible. Also, have other work ready to switch to for a brief distraction (like working on the plot for your next book).
Yay, you finished your first draft!
Read over your work and edit at least five times with no specific goal. Then, make one pass for: consistency, dialogue, punctuation, spelling, flow, and CHECK FACTS. Now, make two non-specific passes. Trust me. This effort will create better work and save heartache. Typically, I do 20 editing passes, including TWO Grammarly and ProWritingAid passes.
Quick tip: Make a file called temp. Use this to hold large text segments for copying. Also, copy the text here for Grammarly and ProWritingAid, then paste the updated text into your main document. Why? Grammarly and ProWritingAid take forever on large documents.
What is flow? It is how one sentence leads to the next. It is how one paragraph integrates with the next. The reader should never have to stop and think about who is saying what. “I’m confused. Where did the killer come from?” “What does this word mean?” This should be in the back of your mind during self-editing.
One more step. You need a title. Brainstorm at least 20 titles. First, cross out all the titles that already exist. Also, cross them out if they are even remotely related to a famous title. “Hunting Red October Tomatoes” “The Sorcerer’s Stone” With a friend’s help, narrow the list to one. It should be edgy, tight, and provocative.
The next step is a beta read. But how do you know you are ready? Simple: track your self-editing. How many changes did you make on your last self-edit? If there are many (more than one per three pages), you are not ready.
You want your beta reader to locate significant big-picture issues, point out character flaws, and make comments. You are not looking for grammar/spelling issues, but it is nice when they find them. (That is the editor’s job.) Plus, you, Grammarly, and ProWritingAid should have already found them. If you get many grammar/spelling issues from your beta reader, this indicates another problem. It might be a beta reader’s lack of experience, or your grammar and spelling are below average.
The comments you want are: “This makes little sense.” “I don’t think Sam would do this.” “Seems unrealistic.” “More explanation.” “How did they get the job?” “More description here.” “Too much information.” “I do not think female readers would like this.” Then, make another five edits, including a Grammarly and ProWritingAid pass. At this time, there should be no plot issues, logic errors, or wrong facts, and the flow is excellent.
Next, format. Use New Times Roman, single-spaced, size 11, for all words. All the margins and tabs should be the same. One space between the period and the next sentence. Why all the formatting effort? You do not want to waste the editor’s time with formatting issues. Later, the formatter will change the format for publishing.
Next, find an editor. How? Look for editor reviews. ALWAYS ask for a sample document that they have edited. Look at their edits, comments, questions, notes, encouragements, and suggestions. (If you do not see additional thoughts, DO NOT USE THIS EDITOR.) Look at how the document improved and see if you can spot missed errors.
Important tip. Do not treat your editor like a garbage collector. If you know your work has errors, FIX THEM. You want to give the editor the absolute best possible work so they can concentrate on genuine issues. Otherwise, they will spend time fixing the simple stuff and feel they have accomplished something impressive.
Important issue. What if the editor did not spot many mistakes, made too many corrections, or disagreed significantly with your direction? There is no choice. You picked a lousy editor. Incorporate the valuable comments, do a Grammarly/ProWritingAid, and one more self-edit pass. Then, hire another editor. Sadly, I had to do this three times on my first book at my own expense.
Important tip. Think of hiring an editor as a paid job interview. You are looking to build a long-term relationship and hire them multiple times. If the editor does not go into this process with the idea of “I am trying to impress you,” then you know not to use them again. Sadly, this interview process is expensive.
Should you ask your potential editor to edit your first chapter as a test of their abilities? I do not recommend it. Instead, I would ask them if they can show you something they have edited. A promising sign is: “I can fit you in in three weeks.” This means they are busy with other work, meaning that other authors value them. If they say, “I can fit you in in six months,” this is not good for a long-term relationship.
After the edit, review their edits, evaluate each one, and then make five more passes. Again, your last pass should have nearly zero changes, indicating that you are satisfied. However, using an editor presents a problem when they disagree with Grammarly or ProWritingAid. I advise you to do your best, but remember you paid for the editor’s opinion.
At this stage, you have a polished work, which is the absolute best it can be. But there will be subtle issues that you or the editor may not have spotted. To solve this, hire a copy editor (sometimes called a proofreader). This step is $$$, but essential. A copy editor looks for the little nitpick grammar mistakes, detailed logic issues, and checks facts.
This is the final polish, but there is a massive issue at this last stage. You must “trust the force” and let the copy editor take control. If they make an edit and you disagree, go with their edit. This hands-off rule is super tricky. Make five more passes, but keep them super light. (One word per five pages.) If you want to improve something, remember that your improvement has not been copy-edited. So tread carefully.
YAY, you are done! Now, for the harder part: publish your work. Then, the impossible: marketing your work.
You’re the best -Bill
December, 21, 2018 Updated March 26, 2023, July 10, 2024, November 18, 2024, September 29, 2025, January 07, 2026
Important issue. What if the editor did not spot many mistakes, made too many corrections, or disagreed significantly with your direction? There is no choice. You picked a lousy editor. Incorporate the valuable comments, do a Grammarly/ProWritingAid, and one more self-edit pass. Then, hire another editor. Sadly, I had to do this three times on my first book at my own expense.
Important tip. Think of hiring an editor as a paid job interview. You are looking to build a long-term relationship and hire them multiple times. If the editor does not go into this process with the idea of “I am trying to impress you,” then you know not to use them again. Sadly, this interview process is expensive.
Should you ask your potential editor to edit your first chapter as a test of their abilities? I do not recommend it. Instead, I would ask them if they can show you something they have edited. A promising sign is: “I can fit you in in three weeks.” This means they are busy with other work, meaning that other authors value them. If they say, “I can fit you in in six months,” this is not good for a long-term relationship.
After the edit, review their edits, evaluate each one, and then make five more passes. Again, your last pass should have nearly zero changes, indicating that you are satisfied. However, using an editor presents a problem when they disagree with Grammarly or ProWritingAid. I advise you to do your best, but remember you paid for the editor’s opinion.
At this stage, you have a polished work, which is the absolute best it can be. But there will be subtle issues that you or the editor may not have spotted. To solve this, hire a copy editor (sometimes called a proofreader). This step is $$$, but essential. A copy editor looks for the little nitpick grammar mistakes, detailed logic issues, and checks facts.
This is the final polish, but there is a massive issue at this last stage. You must “trust the force” and let the copy editor take control. If they make an edit and you disagree, go with their edit. This hands-off rule is super tricky. Make five more passes, but keep them super light. (One word per five pages.) If you want to improve something, remember that your improvement has not been copy-edited. So tread carefully.
YAY, you are done! Now, for the harder part: publish your work. Then, the impossible: marketing your work.
You’re the best -Bill
December, 21, 2018 Updated March 26, 2023, July 10, 2024, November 18, 2024, September 29, 2025, January 07, 2026
