Ask HN: I want to write a Sci-fi book. Where do I start? I have an idea - but do no have any writing experience or confidence to do so. I'm a programmer in my day job. How can I start? Where do I look? |
Ask HN: I want to write a Sci-fi book. Where do I start? I have an idea - but do no have any writing experience or confidence to do so. I'm a programmer in my day job. How can I start? Where do I look? |
If it's the former, just start writing. Just start. Pen and paper, laptop, typewriter, sketchpad with outlines on, anything and everything. Write because that's what you want to do. Cross bits out and throw them away and redo them and change things and add things and cut them out again, because what you want is the act of writing it and doing this is what you want to do. When you find bits that don't go as well as you'd like, you'll know what technique needs improving.
If the latter, save yourself the bother.
Those are the main ways people that I know write books.
They're all published and commercially successful genre fiction authors, and the podcast is consistently high on quality and low on BS, unlike at many other sites offering writing tips, tricks, strategies and advice.
All the episodes are ~15 minutes long, and most have a writing prompt or exercise at the end that can be completed in roughly the same amount of time.
Block out 30-45 minutes of time in the morning to listen to an episode and write on the prompt.
Very simple one year plan: write 350 words each weekday. Take the weekend off. Done. Chuck Wendig provides more obscenities, but that's the meat of it.
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Novel-Print-Lawrence-Block/dp/... is a really good book on how to write a publishable novel. Block has written an awful lot of them, some of which are great, some of which were cranked out to pay the rent.
Do not hold yourself to impossible standards. Everyone's first million words are not so great. (Some of them still get published, which is OK.)
Write, keep writing, revise, find discipline.
Don't worry that your writing isn't great. Get the ideas out, hammer out a story, don't prematurely optimize. Refactoring is something you'll do later. But definitely write every day, or at least sit at a desk. You won't know what to start with... If you are idea based, you will probably lack for characters, plot, scenery. Don't worry, you can work on that as you go.
But fundamentally, write, then write, then write some more.
If writing stories is like any other difficult skill, the important thing is just do it. Practice, practice, and practice some more. Knowing this, I've focused on completing short stories. Once I feel ready, I try my hand at a novel.
This also might be relevant to your interests. It's a snippet of Ira Glass talking about the difficulty of being a beginner getting into story-writing for the first time: http://vimeo.com/24715531
I also really like the Self-Publishing Podcast. If you're interested in being an indie author rather than pursuing traditional publishing, it's a fantastic look at three guys finding their way in that industry. The Writing Excuses podcast (recommended earlier by joanofarf) is a better podcast for the craft of writing, but I find the Self-Publishing guys both entertaining and inspirational.
(About me: English major turned programmer)
Then write, but don't write in a vacuum. Maybe join a writers' group. Maybe take some classes. I might not necessarily start thinking about 'book' right now. Books are hideously difficult to do properly, and publishing is a competitive field, and editors have wastebaskets and know how to use them (for putting almost everything they receive into). Start thinking about short stories, and if you can manage to get published in the short form, then worry about the long form.
Also be careful about rights. If you put a story online, technically it's published. Doesn't matter where - facebook, livejournal, your personal site. That can affect whether a market is willing to pick it up afterwards.
I'll check out storyfix - Thanks - it looks like what I need (This blog is about getting real with your writing dream)
1. Make tangible progress most days per week.
2. Write more than necessary, and edit later.
3. Try to have as much fun as possible