Write your own book? Yes, write your own book.
What can I write about? Fiction
This week I am writing to those interested in writing a fictional short story or a full-length (whatever that is these days) story.
Creating your own world – Fictional works can have the advantage of living outside our normal world. So many writers choose to create their own worlds to tell their stories in. You don’t have to be quite so concerned about making it real, just possible. Look at Ray Bradbury or Orson Scott Card. Movies are like this too. Of course, where do most movies come from? Books that have been written and repurposed for the big screen. Many movies didn’t start out as books, but were still written down to get the story and production right.
There are a few things to remember when doing your own-world fictional stories: You still must keep continuity. You must have believable characters. You still must have science agree with you most of the time.
One downfall I have seen is that writers spend too much time creating the new world and forget to have a believable story. In fact, some forget to have a story at all. To be read and recommended, create the world but have a compelling story to take you through it. Help the reader discover the world you have created through being immersed in the story. Look at the movies “Avatar” or “Star Wars.” The new worlds came alive but you were captured by the stories and you learned as the story unfolded.
Science Fiction and Fantasy – My favorites. These can take you to other worlds or keep you right here in this one. Jules Verne and Michael Crichton have written books that are great examples, keeping you in this world but telling a story all about science that could be possible. “Star Trek” and writers like Ray Bradbury and Orson Scott Card are about a possible future. Sometimes, these works are about new worlds or imagined futures.
There are some things that you have to remember – You are writing about Science FICTION. Some writers feel that you CAN’T beat the laws of science – just bend them, while others take license to create new technologies that sometimes become real very soon after. (“Star Trek’s” sliding doors are now commonplace in many stores). If you go this route, be sure to make the inventions as realistic as possible.
Another problem, like many other fictional categories, is making sure you have a great story to go along with the science and fantasy you are creating. A great start, middle and end are what you really need, along with good twists, strong personalities, conflict between characters or science (or other natural things) and realistic possibilities for resolution. Keep the things that are resolved in the last chapter to one or two points, not all.
I have read many books that juggle several story lines that all get resolved in the last ten pages. They are so contrived and unreal that it leaves me unsatisfied. Some things definitely need to be resolved in the end, but don’t leave everything to be conveniently tied up in a few paragraphs. Even worse –forgetting to resolve some storylines.
Historical Fiction – It has to be historical but still can be fiction. Over the years I have read books about different wars through the eyes of fictional characters that tells the story of the historical facts. Look at how many stories have been written about the Titanic, Hiroshima, occupied France, the bombings in London, the Roman (insert any other great empire here) Empire and so many more. Many of these books are based on the facts of the events but are told about a fictitious person or family. Some are even about individual cities and the struggles their occupants had. These all make for great reading.
There is also the re-imagining of many events like the Revolutionary War or of the people that crossed the plains to settle in the West. “The Perfect Storm” is one of these. The book starts out with the facts but then adds in fiction to complete the novel. Sometimes, the stories are about historical events that get changed, causing the whole outcome to change. I read a series about Atlantis being the new Americas. It told of many events from the Revolutionary War and the struggle for independence but the outcomes were changed because key decisions were made differently.
Both of these can be very effective if the writing is done well. There are a few things to remember: If you’re writing a historical novel with fictional characters, stay true to the history. Don’t try to rewrite history (unless you’re trying for the above-mentioned effect. But even then, you need continuity of key facts to make it believable). There have been some amazing books that have done this very well. They manage to give the reader insight he/she might not have thought of and different perspectives of the historical events themselves.
In a good re-imagining, many times it is about an alternate time line where one decision changes the outcome and creates a completely different future as a result. Or maybe it is like Michael Crichton’s book, “Timeline,” where people from the present are teleported to the past and their interactions there change some things and solidify the history of other things.
Decide before you start to which of these methods you are going to adhere to. It is hard to switch back and forth and impossible to keep some of your readers involved if you do. They really do want either historical fiction or history re-imagined.
Finding it hard to write? As with the business books that I talked about last time, some writers have great ideas but find it hard to put them into book form. They can’t keep on task or there isn’t enough time to write in their busy schedule. There are two alternatives to these: 1) Use a ghostwriter to do the hard part of putting it on paper or 2) Sign on with a writing coach to help you learn how to write the chapters and keep you on task.
A ghostwriter is a person that learns all about the book you want to write. They then create a document that follows your outline and vision for the book. They may also do additional research and fill in gaps you may have. They can also take your book all the way to a finished product.
A writing coach is a person that helps you stay on task, keep to deadlines and helps you brainstorm sometimes, to get past a tough section or a writing block. I do mean “coach.” They will push you to do better, and, just as a coach does, they will instruct you so you will be better at writing.
Want more information? Send me an email and I’ll give you more info.
One last thing is that any good book needs to be edited before you send it to press or to the internet. Sometimes, you’re so close to the material that you may leave out details that you know but the reader may not. It could also be something like a change in the style or a lack of continuity in the characters’ names. These and similar flaws can be the undoing of an otherwise solid book. Take the time and invest the money in a good editor.
Offering your book:
For more information on writing or promotion of your books, download my whitepaper on writing books: Download here. There, you will find a white paper about this subject and how to promote your book. There are also sources and programs that will help you in your quest to complete your book.