First off do not ever attempt to climb this most joyous, but also most dangerous mountain with out preparation.

You will find very quickly that you will be your worst critic, and you will be the one to beat yourself up more than anyone else.

Writing to me is on of the most joyous gifts that has ever been given to anyone who has ever picked up a pen.

When writing a novel you must first look in your own imagination, your own mind, thoughts, and heart.

When taking this journey, you have stepped into a whole new world, in this world anything is possible.

How you ask? Well—because you are the creator. Whatever you can think up is whatever you can bring to life. Life itself is in your hands, its in that pen, that pencil, or that keyboard, it is that creative structure that is in your own mind.

So that is the first step, once you have been hit with the drive, or with the passion, inwhich I hope we all will someday, to start that first piece fo art.  Create the plot, the storyline of your manuscript, be open to new ideas for this storyline is tentative and subject to change.

Get a notebook, a few notebooks even; begin to write down the plot and the characters. Start with you main characters, then down to the ones who are insignificant. For example a character who could be considered insignificant could be the cop who pulls over the main character, or the lady in the grocery store line,

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or the young boy who bumped into someone in the middle of the street.

Whatever you can think up, that is why creative writing is such a glorious thing.

Do not get frustrated or aggravated with the structure of the book at this time, you may have more work done on one character that is not yet to be brought to light of the story until the mid or even end of the story. Once you have completed each character and what part they play in the story then you can begin to copy and paste the book into the correct structure for the reader.

You want to break it down into parts, you will never ever be able to complete it as a whole if you don’t…it’s like trying to eat an elephant in one bite, it can’t be done, but you could eat it in parts.

You would never attempt to climb Mt. Everest without first preparing for it, making sure you had the correct equipment, clothing, food, etc…

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Also remember this Quote from a very wise man, ” A lot of writers read, but a lot of readers don’t write.”

Reading is also a gift, a free gift to the writer. Read some work from your own collection of authors that you truly enjoy, and also read some of the work from the authors your not so fond of. Reading others manuscripts help build the imagination.

Read other study material type books that help writers, such as grammar, or even speech books, this is where you can find your own voice, in your pen.

Study the dictionary, pull words that you don’t usally use on a day to day basis and begin to use them, widen your vocabulary, study books that peek your interest. For example if you want to write a book about a place in England and you have never been to England, then read up on England and the places within it.

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You don’t have to travel the world to “TRAVEL THE WORLD.”

Thank you and please comment if this has helped you.

William Ballard