Stories are essential to the human condition. Whether its because you want an escape from everyday life or because reading about new worlds, children’s book manuscript and adventures relaxes you, stories are important to people.
Authors of both fiction and non-fiction books are among the best and most respected purveyors of stories. A few decades back, the opportunity to become an author was especially selective because aspiring writers only had a few gateways through which they can earn money and put their works in the market: publishing houses. But the odds of getting published is astronomically low because of rigorous industry standards.
Today, with the advent of the internet, you have a much better chance of getting published today. Authors no longer have to rely solely on publishing houses because they can write, edit and put out books on their own. However, whether you’re considering self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, you will still need a compelling story to attract audiences and money.
Here are 5 pieces of advice you should definitely consider if you want to come up with a great and well-written story.
1. Fit Media to Story
It’s vital that you complete the story first before looking for a suitable medium rather than the other way around. When you’re writing a story, you may be tempted to fit the story to your prospective medium such as choosing between mass paperbacks and trade paperbacks. But that isn’t going to work. You could be compromising the quality of the story to make it fit in an unsuitable medium.
For example, if you’re writing a full-length novel with over 50,000 words, that won’t mesh well if you’re putting it out in a short, serialized format purely because it will take too long and your readers may get tired before you even complete it.
2. Repaint an Old Idea
Thousands of years ago, someone already said that there was nothing new under the sun. Don’t be discouraged that you haven’t come up with a completely original idea for your story. Instead, find an old idea and try to make it new, like furniture. Perhaps you can start with a tired premise and add an interesting twist or a change in scenery.
For example, you can use the premise of star-crossed lovers, like “Romeo and Juliet”, but set in an advanced spacefaring civilization. Or how would the same star-crossed lovers plot work in a world where vampires rule the night?
3. Read, Read, Read
You may think you won’t have enough time while working on your opus to read, but not indulging your reading habits can prevent you from getting inspired. Reading other authors, other works, can help you expand your horizons. And it’s not just fiction books that can help you with your work. Non-fiction books are essential if you’re writing historical fiction or even using bits of history in a work of contemporary fiction. You should also read books from authors with different backgrounds if you want a more accurate depiction of a certain culture or strata of society.
4. Just Write
Some prospective writers can spend hours staring at the blinking indicator on their word processor’s screen. It can be very daunting, writing your first novel or piece of fiction. However, you should never let your doubts stop you. Rather than sit in front of a screen for hours, type out your work’s first sentence and let it grow. Writing even just one sentence is a huge first step and you can be pleasantly surprised how much easier the rest of the words will flow out of you once you’ve primed the pump with that all-important first sentence.
5. Don’t Edit as You Go
One huge hindrance to prospective and aspiring writers is the urge to stop what you’re doing and backread your work. This can be an important process, particularly if you’re trying to keep your story straight, but if you backread purely to edit, you’re never going to finish your work.
Resist the urge to winnow every line of dialogue and every page yourself. That’s what editors are for. Your job as the author is to finish your manuscript and you’ll never do that if you’re always going back to read and edit your work. Focus on writing your work and let professional editors look for typos and inconsistencies.
Writing can be one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, especially if you’re writing about subjects you truly appreciate and are passionate about. No matter if you choose to write fiction or non-fiction works, these writing tips will help you make a great manuscript.