[pullquote2 style=”left” quote=”dark”]These empty shelves are waiting to be filled by your inspiring books[/pullquote2]
“Where do I start”? You might say.
Start at the beginning of course, a very good place to start. Find a quiet place; shut the door, close your eyes and take deep breathes — in and out. Still your mind and then sit back and let the ideas flow. It is amazing how thoughts pour into a quiet head.
I don’t believe anyone can teach you to write, the words and thoughts come from some place inside you. They have been simmering there until you felt the need to regurgitate them. This is what makes each book unique and begging to be written.
What is your passionate subject? I love researching diverse topics and then finding a connection. It is fun. Of course, the first time it took me six years of searching in obscure libraries, hunting through bookshops and reading books by various authors, using my scant knowledge of French to decipher the meaning of French terms or to find a friend who could translate German books. It was an exciting adventure; it was like tackling a giant jigsaw puzzle. The revelation of a connection was, exhilarating.
You are right; research is an expensive way to start. But you already have an idea – your favorite passion. Perhaps cooking (though not for me) is a huge subject with world-wide interest at all levels. Finding a topic is not the problem, the challenge is to maintain your enthusiasm and your reader’s interest. The reader can sense when you are becoming bored with your subject, and they trail away.
The dare is to keep your reader guessing and remain as enthusiastic as the writer. The modern reader does not like nice thick books like “War and Peace” and other classics. Bearing this in mind, the book needs to be short and to the point. Readers need action from their protagonist. Whether it is through a love story with its hiccups, or adventure, or humor (I think this is the most difficult, because humor varies with social status and nationality).
Perhaps when we next meet we can discuss how to take an idea on an adventure and develop it into an intriguing story, till then stay safe.
