Writing is often seen as a mysterious or rather single-scene act of one person typing on a laptop or (gasps) a typewriter for an extended period of time. Then viola, 50-100k (or more) words appear, get rejected a lot or instantly attracted publisher, and become a best seller.

It is so not the case.

I have gone into more details about the publishing industry in my first article on self vs. traditional publishing. Here, I’m going to focus on the general happenings surrounding how a book is written. Or at least how I write a book.

First comes the idea

It could be inspired by something that I’ve read or watched like It’s a Match which was sparked by an idea I got reading 21 Lessons for 21st Century.

My Protectors of Earth Chronicles was something I wanted to write after reading a long-form Chinese story about people with enhanced physical abilities in a post-apocalypse world that only made up part one of the long story. And I wanted to explore something like that so much more.

Some stories are from dreams that I’ve had, although some of them are often very warped. Most of them I’ve written up as a synopsis and logline in a master sheet, including a story of a group of teenagers being drawn from around the world to a seal where a monster is breaking free, and they must find the missing pieces to stop it. They generally needed a lot of tweaking, which is when we move on to stage 2.

Refining the idea

Once I have the initial concept, I either scribble in a notebook or free write about the background and the characters. This serves as the backbone of the story that I draw from as I write—the more detailed, the better. If I’m inspired, I sometimes write out a scene or two or just start writing.

I don’t always have the entire plot of the story thought out at this stage. The ending for both It’s a Match and the conclusion to the Protectors of Earth Trilogy – Revelation – came to me as I write. However, my experience with the Creative Institute has made me realise that plotting the structure, at least what you can of it.

One of the best resources to help you plot is the seven story structures. It is the general plots that most stories follow, commonly referred to as the Hero’s Journey. Most of my story follows the Quest, which involves a group of people going out and seeking something, be it an answer to their questions or a physical thing.

The Writing

This is the part where I most often get stuck. Even when I have the plot all lined up, I do find that sometimes I just get stuck on a certain thing or how to transition. There are two ways to get around it:

Write anyway and edit laterTalk to someone about it

The second method is much better in my own opinion, which loops back to my opening statement Writing might be seen as a solitary journey, but having someone else, whether it’s hiring a developmental editor, having a critique group, or just talking to your friends and family, can really help your creative process. My D.E. Tom was invaluable when I was writing, spotting things that I didn’t consider and providing a very different perspective.

Once you’ve written everything, it’s only half the battle. Next, you need to edit.

Editing your own story

The hallmark of true editing is not throwing it to an editor you hire and forgetting about it. It’s having to read your own words so many times that your eyes start to blur, and you’re able to recite some part of your novel.

I’m not great at self-editing, it’s something that I have to admit. I get sick of my own words very quickly, and I’ll absolutely abandon it. BUT it is extremely important to not only read it through but to read it out loud. No one will know your story as well as you do, and no one will catch your mistake.

For example, I have had a dozen people read It’s a Match, and I’m the one who caught myself using Gardens by the Bay instead of Marina Bay Sands as the hotel.

It is difficult to say exactly how long it takes to write a story from start to finish. For It’s a Match, I started in late February and everything was finalised at the end of October, although the writing itself was done by the end of June!

Having a deadline and or accountability partner is the one major thing that has helped me to write. So it’s worth finding a writing buddy or a friend you can talk to about your writing.

The post Behind the scenes of how a book gets written (at least, by me) appeared first on Samantha Cheah.