I Want to Write a Book, Now What?

Glossary
Genre: A genre is a specific group for categorizing similar books

Protagonist: The main character of your story. You can have more than one main character, but normally, one will rise above the rest. 

I’ve been asked this question by friends many times. If you have an idea for a story, what’s the next step?

Sometimes you may start with an idea for a plot, and other times you may have an idea for a character.  If you find yourself stuck, figure out the stakes for your protagonist. What sort of conflict will your protagonist run into throughout the story? If you have a few ideas for scenes, write those scenes down first. After that, do a bit of research about the town (or a similar one) where you want your story to take place. Look for nearby locals in that town to give you a few ideas for possible scenes. 

Below is a four-step process to start you in the "write" direction for writing your book. If you can complete these steps, you have the workings of a story! 

Step One

​Figure out your genre. You don’t need to know the gritty details yet, but you do need to know what type of book you're writing. Here's a list of 13 genres:

• Contemporary
• Dystopian
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy
• Horror
• Humor
• Literary
• Historical
• Magical Realism
• Paranormal
• Romance
• Suspense
• Western

Step Two

​What age do you envision your audience? Are you writing for elementary kids, teens, or adults? I won’t dive into a lengthy discussion about the audience, because I already wrote a blog about that. To find it, click here.

Step Three

​What’s the plot? Who is your protagonist and what is your his/her primary goal throughout your story? What or who stands in your protagonist’s way from achieving his/her goal?

Step Four

Where does your story take place? Do your characters live on Earth, on a spaceship, in a small town in Texas, or on another planet? Those two questions directly correlate with the primary setting. 

Steps 1-4 will help you figure out your plot, character, conflict, and setting. These four are essential to begin! Well, I guess you can start writing without knowing the answers, but you might end up writing your story into a dead-end. 

These four steps are the basics of a good story, but to develop your idea more, purchase A Wordy Woman's Guide for Writing a Book on Amazon.  Create well-rounded characters, a colorful plot, and tons of conflict that will keep readers turning the pages. 

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Dawn Husted

Dawn wrote her first book in 2008. Now, she’s the author of 5 books, owner of Yaupon Berry Press, and a member of SCBWI and Texas Association of Authors. She's passionate about the Oxford comma and loves a well-structured plot.
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A Wordy Woman's Guide was created with a tenacious spirit and an enormous vision to offer resources that empower aspiring authors. 

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