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How to Write a Fictional Book

How to Write a Fictional Book

If you want to venture into the world of creative writing, you need to know how to write a fictional book. Fiction refers to content which is basically a narrative from imagination rather than or in addition to fact or history- en.wikipedia.org. Thus, a fictional book is a written discourse that is based on fiction. In writing, fiction refers to literature that comprises of the imaginative narration more so in the prose form- dictionary.reference.com. This category comprises of short stories and novels.

Although writing a fiction book is easy, writing a good fictional book is not- writersdigest.com. You must design the fiction before you start writing. Doing this is a form of art that requires time to master, patience, determination and practice. However, if you are convinced that you can write a good fictional book, there are steps that you can follow in writing one.

How to write a fiction book in 12 steps

  • Be creative and imagine

There is no limit for imagination. Think and imagine. You can also generate more creative ideas by listening to other people or reading other people’s works. As you do this, let ideas flow in your mind. If the book that you want to write belongs to a particular category, read books in that category. This can be classic literature or romantic novels. This will give you a feel of what you intend to write- wikihow.com.

  • Shape your idea

The idea of the fictional book that you want to write can come as a dream or a thought. You may read a story somewhere and get the idea of your novel. You can also get the idea after watching how people behave around you. Once you have the idea, write it down as the summary of your fictional book. Even if the idea sounds stupid at first, write it down. You may change it later as you get other ideas for your book. For instance, “A physicist traveling back with a mission of killing apostle Paul” can be an idea of a novel. The sentence that summarizes the idea of your fictional book should always be the guiding statement throughout the writing process.

  • Develop an outline

Start by working on the basic pitch of your fictional book. You can do this by asking, who, what, where, when, why and how? If you can answer these questions about the story that you want to tell, then you really has a story to tell in a book. If you cannot answer them, you need more time to develop your idea. The outline of your story should depict the story line and its details. For instance, if you are writing about a dog, what is its color? Is it a male or female dog? Who owns the dog, where does it live, what does it eat? Who takes care of it? There are many questions that your story line or outline should answer. Make sure that your story line answers all of them.

  • Know what the story is really about

On the surface, you can write a fictional book. However, the story of the book could convey a vital message. For instance, you may write about sexual conquests of a female lifesaver in a lifesaving club. However, underneath this lifesaver you could be talking about equality in the society ad struggles that she goes through at work in a male dominated society. Therefore, know what exactly your story is about and the message that you want to pass using a fictional book.

  • Decide on the size of your fictional book

The number of pages to write as well as the chapters should depend on the length of the story that you want to tell. You can estimate the size of the book using the ideas that you have and the outline of the book. Also have a thesis statement for the book that will guide you in ensuring that your book is conclusive by answering all questions. This should be based on the main idea of the book- owl.english.purdue.edu.

  • Give characters names and roles

Characters are very important in any fictional book. Take time to design them before you start writing. Take a moment to give each character a name, a summary of their role, goal, conflict that they get involved in, epiphany and their entire story line. Note that you might have to revise the summary of these attributes of the characters as you develop the story.

  • Start the book with tension

Everybody who knows how to write a fictional book will tell you how important starting a fictional book with tension is. Tension helps you in grabbing the attention of the reader. It makes the events in the book or story to sound and feel real. Make sure that your book starts with tension that gives the book a context. The tension should be the uniting factor or the force that will draw the main characters and bring them to the light. For instance, you can start your fictional book with a tension where a character is unable to get something that he wants. You can also start the book with a tension where a character is unable to save a close relative such as a parent, a son, daughter or brother. The book can also start with a tension where a character is unable to defeat a rival in a competition.

  • Give your story a structure

After using the tension to bring out your characters, give your story a structure. Develop the book around the main idea or thesis of your story. While doing this, have the wants of your characters in mind. For instance, Romeo wants Juliet. Make your characters compelling by depicting them as having the zeal to achieve what they want. Make the desires and wants of your characters strong so that readers can choose the characters to identify with.

  • Make sure that each chapter ends with suspense

At the end of each chapter, make sure that readers have unanswered questions. However, this does not imply that you should not answer questions in the chapters. It simply means that you need to come up with new questions as you write the book. This is where creativity comes in. Fictional books are built on readers’ curiosity- writersdigest.com. Failure to spark readers’ curiosity means that you leave them without the incentive for reading the next chapter.

  • Create obstacles for characters

You can make the challenges that characters face as complex as you desire. These challenges will spice your story. However, make sure that the main characters in the book or story overcome the challenges no matter how complex they are. For instance, if the main character had a drug addiction problem, they must overcome the addiction by or at the end of the story. A fictional book is considered best if characters face tough challenges and overcome them by the end of the story.

  • Understand the audience

As you master these steps on how to write a fictional book make sure that you know the audience of every fictional book that you write. A fantasy novel is different from an erotic or crime novel. The audience for each fictional book varies and the stories in these books are told differently. Therefore, know the audience for which your book is intended and their expectations. For instance, when writing a crime novel, reveal some aspect of or the crime early so that the other part of the book can be about solving it. For a thriller, make the story about the attempts of the characters to stop something from happening.

  • Edit

Once you are done writing your fictional book, read it and correct what you find incorrect. If something does not read right, correct it. Also edit the book for grammatical, typo and spelling errors. Finally, ask a professional to edit your book. This ensures that you do not allow any mistake to go unnoticed.

Additional tips on how to write a fictional book

To make your fictional book great and easy to write:

  • Start with a single-sentence summary of the main idea
  • Know exactly what you want to write
  • Ensure that readers care once they read your book
  • Include everything that you know and think about then edit later
  • Create tension and scene
  • Know what characters want and develop the story as they try to achieve it
  • Control your exclamations

Make the information in your book seem accurate even if it is based on fiction- theguardian.com. Also make sure that your book is original and not based on the ideas of other authors. Additionally, give the story of your book a depth.

It’s our hope that from the above guidelines you now know how to write a fictional book.

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Sources

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-fiction-5-tips-to-get-more-creative

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/616/02/

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-fiction-5-tips-to-get-more-creative

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fiction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Good-Fiction-Book

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