By Dennis Mellersh
You want to write a book, and you have been doing a lot of research on the Internet, and perhaps at the library, looking for answers about what is involved in writing a book.
But by now you may be getting frustrated at not finding the answers you are looking for.
The reason for your frustration is that learning the process of writing a book is a complicated one, and there are no simple answers.
Many beginner writers believe there may be a formula they can follow for successfully writing a book – and for a very few types of books, there may actually be a simple step-by-step process.
But for the vast majority of books, it is a misconception to think that there is a quick and effortless way to learn about writing a book.
The reality is that the first thing you must do before you can write a book is to learn the art of writing. And writing is an art; it is not a scientific or mechanical process in which a formula can lead to assured success.
Whether you are a student, or in the workforce, or a homemaker, it is important to remember that it took time, and perhaps a lot of time, for you to develop the skills you already possess for school, for your job, or for managing your home.
Similarly, it will also take time to acquire the skills you will need in order to write the book you are envisaging, and it will likely take more time than you have been anticipating.
Whether you want to write a book of fiction, such as a novel, or a group of short stories, or a collection of your poems as a book, or a non-fiction book, it is worth re-emphasising that you must learn the process of learning how to write effectively, and eventually, how to write well before you can make your book manuscript a reality.
However, this does not mean that you need to put your plan to write a book on indefinite hold. The good news is that while you are learning to write, you can also, as a parallel activity, do background research, fact-finding, and planning for your proposed book.
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