Writing a book is not a thing that you can easily make right away. It needs time, effort and a series of patience to be developed. The hardest part for a writer is not publishing part, it’s the writing process. But if you know what to do and you have a guide to follow, then it will be easier for you.

Below are the tips that may help you in writing your first book.

Getting started

Start small. If you will ask a professional writer of what’s their secrets, probably, they will tell you that you should read and write often. Experience is the key to a masterpiece. Try to write 500 words per day. John Grisham began his writing career as a lawyer. He got up early every morning and wrote one page. You can do the same.

Have an outline. A good plan can help you save time, and furthermore, make your project easier. Write up a table of contents to guide you. Then break up each chapter into a few sections. Think of your book in terms of beginning, middle, and end.

Have a set time to work on your book every day. Pick the best time for you to write your book. If you want to take a day or two off per week, schedule that as time off. Don’t just let the deadline pass. And don’t let yourself off the hook.

Choose a unique place to write. It may seem nonsense, but a nice workspace can help you too in the writing process. This needs to be different from where you do other activities. The idea is to make this a special space so that when you enter it, you’re ready to work on your project.

Have a set word count. Think in terms of 10-thousand work increments and break each chapter into roughly equal lengths:
» 10,000 words: a pamphlet
» 20,000 words: short eBook or print book
» 40,000–50,000 words: good-sized nonfiction book
» 60,000–70,000 words: longer nonfiction book
» 80,000 words–100,000 words: typical novel length

Give yourself weekly deadlines. Remember that you have a goal and of course a good plan and that also means each part of your book has a time limit. It can be a word count, a percentage of progress, whatever. Just have something to aim for, and someone who will hold you accountable.

Get early feedback. Have a friend or few trusted advisers to help you discern what’s worth writing. Nothing stings worse than writing a book and then having to rewrite it, because you didn’t let anyone look at it.

Ship. No matter what, finish the book. Send it to the publisher, release it on Amazon, do whatever you need to do to get it in front of people. Just don’t put it in your drawer.

Embrace failure. This will be hard and you will mess up. Be okay with it. Give yourself grace. That’s what will sustain you, not your high standards of perfection.

Write another. The first book might be embarrassing. But without that first, you will never earn a lesson. So put your work out there, fail early, and try again. This is the only way you get good. You practice and get experience to learn more.

Every writer started somewhere, and most of them started by squeezing their writing into the cracks of their daily lives. The ones who make it are the ones who show up day after day.

You can do it, too.