Read on for six winning tips to prepare and draft your manuscript, in Part 5 of
"10 Simple Steps to becoming a successful published author" blog series by Maureen Shelley.
1.How
many words are enough?
Authors
often ask how long their book should be; and it is true that once 52,000 words
was a de facto standard. However, these days with self-publishing the norm
rather than the exception what ever you write that covers your topic
comprehensively and cohesively will work.
Remember
your spine width may be the first thing your audience sees, so a book with a
spine width the size of the first joint of your thumb will present a nice wide
'canvas'.
There
are plenty of self-publishing websites that can help you calculate spine width,
so enter a few numbers and work out what a realistic length would be to achieve
your goals for your book.
2. Size
matters
Remember
the number needs to be divisible by 16 if you are going to print and the last
page should be blank. Aim for 300 or so pages for a Trade paperback B+ size, if
you are writing a self help or business book. This size also works well for
novels.
Say
your aim is to write 300 pages on your topic.
If you write 10 chapters of 30 pages, then you have a good basis for
your book. An A4 page of type may equate to up to three pages in a book,
depending on spacing, margins and font.
3. A
word on fonts
I
would recommend you go old school and use Times New Roman. Use the same font
for your title, chapter headings, any footnotes, page numbers, headers or
footers, table of contents, glossary or indices. This will make life a lot
easier when it comes to file preparation for your printer and preparation of
your digital file.
4. Use
a custom template
If
you are using a standard word processing program use the book manuscript
template. However, you will need to adjust the style to use the same font
throughout. Once you have ensured you have used a single font for everything,
save it as a quick style (in Word).
5. A
beginning, middle and end
Many
authors ask how to write their manuscript. If you are really unsure, then a
writing course would help. However, if you have a reasonable idea of what you
want to say then start with a plan. If
you are going with my suggestion of 300 pages in 10 chapters, then start outlining your chapter headings. What
are the 10 essential messages, key points or events that you want to explore?
If
yours is a cook book, then starters, entrees, main courses and desserts are
obvious choices for chapter headings. You can divide up main courses into meat
and vegetarian or beef, lamb and poultry - work out a plan and write to that.
If
you are writing a business book, then what is the solution you are providing
for the reader? In your introduction, outline the issue, your proposed solution
and the steps to get there. Then sketch
the conclusion. Chapter 1 sets up the issue, Chapter 2 addresses your proposed
solution. Chapters 3 to Chapter 9 then cover each step, and Chapter 10 provides the conclusion and summarises
recommendations.
If
you are writing a fictional work, then think about the dramatic arc that your
storyline will take. Plan your plot points and where they will fall in the
narrative. Writer Blanche d'Alpuget says to tell the story to just one reader.
Picture that person clearly and tell them the story so that it is engaging.
This creates a virtuous circle between the author and the reader, she says.
If
you are tackling a family memoir you have choices of periods - pre war, war,
inter war, post war ; ages - chiildhood, adolesence, young adulthood, marriage,
children, old age; or you can go with themes such as hope and joy, loss and
grief. Whatever framework you choose, map it out, write your chapter headings
and then write to each chapter heading.
6. The
art of writing is to write
Treat
writing like a job. Decide how many hours a day/week/month you are going to
devote, set up a deadline before you start - you want it on sale by Mothers'
Day, by October to capture Christmas sales, by Anzac Day if it is a war memoir
- and work out the rate and frequency of your writing. DO NOT spend a decade
writing a book - or two years if you are a child - because you will only need
to rewrite it.
I
used to own a block of polished wood that had chamfered corners that I called
my writer's block. When I sat down to write, I would have it next to me. Then I
would move it away as the writing started to flow, I would toss it on the floor
and ignore it when things were going well; only to pick it up and cart it
around when I was stuck.
Two
years ago, I moved from a house to an apartment and I gave my writer's block
away. Now, I don't worry about writer's block. If I sit down and can't write I
will literally start with "The cat sat on the mat".
As long as you
are writing, it doesn't matter if it is a laundry list - the art of writing is
to write. Write. Start now.
June is Author's Month to celebrate the
launch of Red Raven Books. Red Raven Books is the publishing and imprint arm of
The Copy Collective. Find out how
we can help you today.
