Hello, I am known as FluffyButt, and I'm glad you opened up this chapter. So what is this, why is this named how to make a book or something along those lines? Well first off let's go back a bit. I used to read books, and novels, on Webnovel all the time, then you had to pay for them and I did.
However, I lost my job and had been very frugal with my money so I've been exploring the fanfic section. After a bit of time, I got a new job, and went back to the novels and was surprised that the fan fics were better than the novels. What I hated though was that after roughly 30 chapters or so, the fan fics would go down two roads. Road one led it to be dropped for some reason or another. While road 2 turned it into a novel about smut/harems. While a very select few of them finished their story. This disappointed me.
So with that out of the way, what about the non-fanfics, the actual stories? Well, it's hit or miss, and I can't tell you why. It might be because the author wanted a certain aesthetic but was in a pinch and rushed it ruining the story, or the pace was too slow, or the author went down a road that wasn't an option. One of the examples of this is (I Have A Super USB Drive). When this book started it was very original, but toward the middle, I believe it starts taking content from movies and using it within the world the author created. I haven't read this book in a while so sorry if that's wrong and that part of the book appears a little later on in the story. Now the fact that it used content from movies wasn't bad, but the way it was implemented started to go downhill and eventually lead to the death of the book. I never finished reading this book, as I lost interest in it very fast.
Original books, Fanfics, Novels, and other forms of literature are something that people should take pride in and nourish them like a child, but that's, not what's happening anymore. Hence the title, How do you write a book?
So before you start writing a book, grab a piece of paper and write down the following, or open a new word page and follow along.
What is the story?
A cat ran up a tree.
Ok so the cat ran up the tree, but why?
It ran up the tree because of a dog chasing it.
Ok, but what led to the dog chasing it?
I don't know?
Well, that's not good enough.
So far all you have is A cat ran up a tree while being chased by a dog. However, with this, we have a quick example. Which sounds better and seems more interesting?
A cat ran up a tree.
or
A cat ran up a tree while being chased by a dog.
Obviously, the story about a cat being chased by a dog because now you're interested in what happens next, as the story has not ended. A cat ran up a tree. Is a full story. It has a beginning and an end. However, A cat ran up a tree while being chased by a dog. Does not have a beginning or an end, just a hook to get your attention.
What is the story you want to tell?
Why did the story start this way?
How will the story progress from there?
Know your ending before getting too far in.
Wait? Know your ending before getting too far in? What do you mean by that?
What I mean by that is when you start a story give it an end. It does not have to be amazing, or fully thought out, just something to close on. So following these steps let's make a quick story, about a cat running up a tree.
What is the story you want to tell? ( a story about a cat running up a tree )
Why did the story start out this way? ( the cat was being chased by a dog for some reason )
How will the story progress from there? ( the cat must escape in some way )
Know your ending before getting too far in. ( the cat escaped and delivered something important )
So there I was sitting on a bench and across from me a cat burst out from the lab window holding something and lands out front by some dogs, who then chased it up a tree. Then a bus drove by the tree and the cat jumped on top of it and then just disappeared. Sometime later the cat was found in a hospital next to my dying dad with something in its mouth.
Ok now, that's a good start. We have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's not a good story, but it's a story nonetheless, so let's expand on it. Let's add more variables that make the story much more interesting.
I was in the courtyard relaxing for my lunch break when all of a sudden the ground started to shake, then a large sound happened something that sounded like a large crash but from far off, it was quite odd. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a window shatter. The craziest thing happened after that, a black siamese cat jumped out of the shattered window right next to the labs guard dogs who then chased it, and like a blur, it ran up a tree with the guard dogs running into it like a cartoon, and then it jumped onto a moving bus. It was absolutely crazy. But that's not the end of it, later that day when I went to the hospital I saw the same black cat jump out of the window next to my dad, when I asked him about it he opened his hand and told me, the cat gave him a note and a syringe with glowing blue liquid. When I read the note I found out that the syringe contained the cure for my grandpaw's disease. If I ever get a chance to see that cat again I hope I can help it in some way.
Now, that's a proper story. You have an ambiguous beginning, leaving lots of room for interpretation about what actually happened, and you have wiggle room where you can change something later on in the story if you want. You have suspense which keeps the readers focus. There are descriptors painting a scene for you. Everything flows smoothly, with a bit of humor to give it some flavor, and painting the scene from a serious situation about a cat being chased by dogs to an amazing memory about a cat who made some guard dogs crash into a tree that sounds crazy to an outsider listening to the story/tail. Then you tackle the ending but try not to let the ending be closed. Have some way to let it continue if you choose to. This way, the short story lets you continue it by having the cat appear before the person again, Or you can have it change perspectives. Something like...
After I delivered that syringe to agent Top I needed to get out of there fast, the time limit in this body is running short.
And With that, I have a full story with an open ending, so that I have a way to continue the story. Now, what about how long the story should be? A good start for a beginner should be around 500 words a chapter.
However, for a seasoned author, 1,000 words would be the minimum, and 10,000 the maximum. This is so that you can keep the audience's attention. keeping it around 1,000 words is short in my option while 10,000 is quite long. My personal preference is around 1,500 to 5,000 as anything longer than that may be too long for me to read as I have other things to do, while 1,500 to 5,000 is just enough for a ten to thirty-minute break, while at work.
Now for the next chapter, we will be going over a few things. Such as how many chapters do you need for a complete book. Do you need to be good at spelling to write a book? What steps can I take to stay focused while writing? This is just the start, and yes There will be a full story to tell you all when I'm done teaching you and myself how to write. So see you all next chapter.