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How to write a book: Part 5: Structure (or Chapter and verse)
Structure. It is kind of strange to be discussing this prior to plot or idea but hey, I am flexible. You can read the discussions in any order you like. Structure refers to the way you organise a book such as chapters and the order of information. An editor who performs “structural editing” service on your work will read it to tell you how well your story or information is structured. In other words, where your chapters go, how many there should be and if you have put material that’s in Chapter 1 in Chapter 42 by mistake.
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Inspiration (or is there a muse?)
Yes. And no. What there is, is this wonderful awesome thing in your head called a brain. There was a reason in Greek mythology as to why Mnemosyne (nem-o-seen) was the mother of the muses. She was the goddess of memory and she named everything. Cognitive science now tells us that memory and emotion are important in the process of creativity. So let me use Sedition (the novel I am writing) as an example so you can understand what I am trying to tell you here.
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7 myths about writing
I thought I’d talk about myths about writing, just so we get all those nagging doubts out of the way. One thing that really depresses me is when I meet someone and they find out I am writing a novel and then they go: “Oh, wow, that’s so great – I could never do that!” Now, I guarantee you that one person out of ten has actually looked at themselves long enough and become sufficiently self aware to know that they cannot write a book for whatever reason. I can also guarantee that I have never actually met this one person. I tend to run into the other nine. I…
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How to write a book: Part 2: And the number one secret for writing a book…
… The Library. Yours at home, the public one in your city/town, the state one, the one at the university several doors down from you, the boxes under the stairs, the geeky flatmate’s comic book collection, the one online via Google Books, the one on your Amazon wish list, the one on your Kindle, the charity book sale, your neighbour’s garage – it doesn’t matter which one really, just whether you use one. Did you see the two writing tricks I just used?
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Want to know how to write a book?
Then join the most appropriately (but not very imaginatively) named “How to write a book” group on the Emergen networking site. The content is free, the membership is free – everything is free. You can either just read the posts or sign up if you want to comment. So why should you be interested? 1) It’s going to teach you or help you write a book 2) It’s free. FREE. 3) You get to chat to other would be and published writers 4) I am the person running it. I AM THE PERSON RUNNING IT. As in, you get to find out how to write a book from me. And…
