Learn the Steps to Writing a Book
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Writing a book is an incredibly fulfilling experience that can open up doors of creativity, expression, and potential publication, but if you know the steps to writing a book, you can be more intentional about your journey. While the process of writing a book can be intimidating and time consuming, having a plan and understanding each step can help you work smarter, not harder. Read on to learn the steps to writing a book so that you can navigate the process of getting your ideas down on paper and potentially turning it into a finished product.
The Steps to Writing a Book: Pressure Test Your Idea and Create an Outline
The first of many steps to writing a book is to pressure test your idea. This means asking yourself several key questions about why you want to write this book, who will read it, and how it will potentially benefit its readers (don’t forget that entertainment is a benefit). Knowing these answers will help you create a project that will be a great fit for the target audience and give you the motivation to keep going, even when the writing gets tough.
Now that you have established why you are writing your book, and what the core of your idea is, it's time to get organized. Creating a story outline with topics or chapters allows you to break up the project into smaller, more manageable tasks. Don’t skip over these important steps to writing a book—doing all of the thinking ahead of time will save you some hard or circuitous work down the road.
The Steps to Writing a Book: Drafting and Revising
This is where the real work begins! Once you have created an outline and given yourself a road map, it's time to start drafting your manuscript. Depending on your idea and writing style, this process can take anywhere from weeks to months (or even longer—some of my clients have been writing their novels for years). As you write out each chapter, don't forget to include details such as descriptions of characters or settings, if needed, and keep your priority on action and forward momentum. These are all important elements that bring the story alive for readers. Additionally, strive for quality over quantity—take breaks between drafts, which allows for a fresh perspective when self-editing or revising your novel.
Revision is one of the most important steps to writing a book! After taking some time away from your draft, come back and be prepared to make significant changes. At this point, it might be helpful to get some writing notes from critique partners, beta readers, or even a developmental editor. Follow the cause and effect sequence of events in your plot, and make sure your character motivations make logical sense. And polish your best draft off with a proofreading round—one of the most frequently neglected steps to writing a book that’s ready for submission.
The Steps to Writing a Book: Pursuing Publication
Once all of your revisions have been made, it's time to try and pursue publication, if that’s your writing career goal. Depending on which avenue you choose (traditional publisher vs self-publishing), there may be additional steps involved, such as finding a literary agent or creating marketing materials like press releases. There are many resources available online which provide detailed advice on how to pursue publication.
Writing a book is one of life’s most rewarding experiences—but if you know the steps to writing a book, you can make the most of your creative, writing, and revision time. It takes diligence and perseverance but knowing the scope of this endeavor in advance makes all the difference. From pressure testing an idea all the way through revision before finally pursuing publication—the journey of steps to writing a book is worth every word written along the way.
Click here to purchase Writing Irresistible Kidlit, my book on fiction craft for MG and YA novels, out from Writer's Digest Books. This will show you my writing craft philosophy and give you lots of valuable advice, including tips for the novel revision process and self-editing. There are over 35 example novels cited and discussed throughout. It’s a valuable resource for any writer’s toolkit.
Click here to purchase Successful Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.