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(Unsolicited) Book Writing Advice

I haven't written one of these things in a while, so I figured it was time to do another one: more unsolicited advice for those who want to write a book!

Write your book first and foremost.
I know I am one to talk about getting ahead of myself (Hello, imagining a possible future all alone in a cramped apartment, or imagining a possible future in a big house with tons of uneven compromises, or broadly imagining something nowhere near that -- and hopefully all for the better), but I can't stress how important it is to write your book first and foremost instead of worrying about stuff like what to call the book or who will put the book out.

With the two projects I'm working on right now, I have a title for one and no title for the other one. I have a pretty clear idea about what I want to write about with both books, so I'm not worried about that. But I do wonder if I'll have to fight for the title of When We Were the Kids if I decide to go with a name publisher. I hope I won't. My attitude is, if somebody else can come up with a better title and I think it's good as well, then that will just have to play out.

In the case of the European horror flick book, I'll let Richard decide more on its title since it's more his book with contributions from me. Hopefully we'll have some ideas soon. As much as people have laughed at me for helping write a book on horror flicks, I'm totally committed to it. This is not the first time I've been laughed at for doing what I want to do. I call it most of my life.

How I suggest one keeps the writing in mind over all other possibilities with the book release, book release date, and so on, is to just keep in the habit of working on the book. That doesn't necessarily mean spend eight hours a day on the book or eight minutes a day on the book. Just find a good routine and keep working. Once again, it's like exercising. And I'm firmly aware that there are plenty of people who have a hard time of sticking to a routine. But if you really want to put your book out there for anyone and everyone to see, I say it's very necessary.

Comments

Richard of DM said…
I wish people would laugh at me for writing a book on horror movies. Usually they just sigh with disappointment and then vomit, also with disappointment.

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