The Beginnings of E-book Nirvana

Maybe first and foremost let’s decide how to spell that?  Ebook, e-book, or E-Book?  Methinks e-book (coz it works for l’il ol’ me.)

The two main types of publishing—e-book versus traditional—have been touched upon in previous posts.  Now, how about actually writing one?

It’s something you’ve thought and dreamed about, but haven’t yet done.  Check a reason:

• lassoing time (it’s proven as difficult to snare as a rampaging bull)
• picking a genre from a cornucopia of possibilities (mystery? romance? western? steampunk?!)
• deciding between fiction or nonfiction (do I create exploits for crazy characters or advise others on how to construct cuckoo clocks?)
• settling on a story, plot, and/or focus (huh? uh?)
• getting <bleeping> started when you’re <bleeping> unsure what to do, and/or
• other: ____________ (you fill in the blank).

Now that you’ve recognized why you haven’t written one, you can kiss off the reason(s) and move forward, and actually start writing.

Awesome. You’ve got an idea—a tale (or teachings) screaming to be shared!  Go for it.  Put the pedal to the metal, or fingers to the keyboard.  Pen to paper [still] works, too.

Before beginning your chef-d’œuvre, it might be best to determine:

• where you’re going to write: distractions (pets, kids, partners, coworkers, outdoor views) should be at a minimum, unless you possess superhero skill at blocking out all
• when you’re going to write; sticking to set schedules is about as easy leaping tall buildings, but figure out the best time of day/night to sit down and then do it.

If the plan is to write fiction, check out authors writing in your genre.  If it’s nonfiction, research websites and blogs, and authors, centering on the same or similar topic.

Read some e-books in your given genre.  See what’s out there and what’s popular.

Do research before or while you write, or after the first draft (whatever works best for you).  Check facts and stats, settings and locales.  There’s nothing worse than glaring errors (like a famous institution located in the wrong part of town, or a misspelled product or place).

When working on your first draft, try not to worry too much about grammar or typos, logistics or continuity.  Just go with the flow.  Get it all down, then clean up (e-d-i-t).

You may want to do an outline before you start writing.  Some writers do, some (like me) don’t so, again, do what works for you.  You’ll figure it out.

Now, if you’ve got a blog going, consider engaging your viewers and visitors.  Let them know what you’re up to.  Maybe you’d like to request their input?

When that final edit is complete, take a deep breath, and pat yourself [profusely] on the back.  Find an e-publisher and show [off] your baby to the world!

Author: tylerus

I'm primarily a writer of fiction and blog posts, and a sometimes editor and proofreader of books, manuals, and film/television scripts. Fact-checking and researching, organizing and coordinating are skills and joys (I enjoy playing detective and developing structure). My fiction audience: lovers of female-sleuth mysteries. My genres of preference: mysteries (needless to say), women’s fiction, informative and helpful “affirmative” non-fiction. So-o, here I am, staring up a new blog for aspiring and established e-Book writers. The plan: to share the (long) journey of getting to this stage, and share "learnings" and "teachings". There's a lot I hope to accomplish with this blog, but it may be a while before that happens as there's a lot on the ol' plate - taking care of Mom, working full-time, and attempting to get another book in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series written (never mind blog postings and other writing projects). It's very challenging and it's all good. As I like to say: teeny focused baby steps are just as effective as long forceful strides. It may take a little longer, but we will get there. View all posts by tylerus