How does someone write a book? I have no idea what the best way to go about writing is, but here are the steps I took. They have gotten me this far.
Step 1: Decide on a concept.
“You should write a book about your life,” a friend suggested after I told her what happened. “It could literally be a movie.” I laughed. It was ridiculous. I was twenty-five years old and I had no idea how to write a book. Sure, past English teachers encouraged me to pursue a career teaching English because they thought I wrote well, but their opinions may not have been accurate. My family had complimented my writing on numerous occasions, but they are biased. They would encourage me even if my writing was not entirely worthy of praise. Every off-key singer who ever entered a televised singing competition was encouraged by someone who was clearly wrong in their opinion.
I was keeping a journal of everything as it happened so I could remember it, but I did not know how write a book. I was not an author. Regardless, my subconscious tucked this moment safely away into a little pocket in the back of my mind, saving it for later. I knew deep down what I was supposed to do. I knew God was telling me to write a book about what happened and how He saved me.
Step 2: Write a solid draft.
My first draft consisted of 50 double-spaced pages. It was pathetic and short, but it was a start.
Step 3: Share the draft with others.
I sent my draft to several friends and family members. They sacrificed their time and read my story in its rough and early stages. They offered their advice, opinions and thoughts about my writing. They shared their suggestions with me and I would not have completed my first book without them. Special shout out to my mother, Stephanie Fitzsimmons, and Meghan Cuddihy.
Step 4: Revise, revise and revise some more.
I spent nearly two years revising and editing my draft. In time, it slowly turned into a book.
Step 5: Get "writer's block."
“There is no such thing as writer's block.” At first, I questioned what she was saying. As an author of nine books, the workshop speaker probably knew what she was talking about, though. Her argument was that writing is not, in fact, a talent. Good writers read often, write regularly, and make writing a daily habit.
My brother is an excellent song writer. His word choice creates multiple layers in the messages he is trying to convey. His songs come across as lighthearted, but hidden behind the initial meaning of the words, is a deeper concept. He reads often and writes for fun, genuinely enjoying it. In college, one of his required assignments was to write a new song each week. The song did not need to be high in quality, as long as it had a topic and several verses. He committed to completing the task every week for a year. Many songs will live forever in writing, never to be heard. However, the process made him a better writer. It formed a habit necessary for any great author.
I had been doing something like this accidentally. I had been writing in a journal almost every day. My entries were lists or bullet points about what happened and what others said. I wanted to document my life in order to keep track of surprising events. I am not creative. There is no way I could possibly write a story from pure imagination. It is much easier to observe what actually happened and write it down. What started out as a diary or journal for myself, slowly morphed into a book.
It was difficult for me to sit down and write. It took a long time for the activity to become a habit. I am not a procrastinator and I usually love writing. However, there were days when I just could not bring myself to write for some reason. So instead of writing my story, some days I simply wrote about the fact that I could not write. Kind of ironic, actually.
Step 6: Doubt yourself, but do not quit.
If you have not read The Invisible War by Chip Ingram, I highly recommend it. It is an excellent book. It made me aware of the ways the enemy tries to stop me from furthering God's kingdom. Satan is really good at getting me to not even try. In high school, I felt God nudging me to start a bible study group. I tried, and failed, but looking back now I can see that I did not really try. I was afraid and did not invite everyone. I was not excited about seeing what God was going to do because I was focused on myself. After a single failed attempt at a meeting, I gave up.
When I was writing my own story, the negative thoughts came back. "Why would anyone read your book, Kayla?" And maybe no one will read it, but that was beside the point. The point was, God wanted me to write the book and even if He will encourage one single person through my story, it would be worth it.
Step 7: Read books about book proposals.
After completing a solid manuscript, it was time to write a book proposal. This proposal is sent to publishers in order to convince them to sell your book. I found the book, How To Write a Book Proposal to be helpful.
Step 8: Make a "To Do" list.
Read Book Proposal Book
Read Comparable and Similar Books
Write Book Proposal (9 Parts):
1 Comps
2 Table of Contents
3 Book Specs
4 Author Bio and Platform
5 Audience
6 Detailed Outline
7 Sample Writing
8 Overview
9 Pizzazz
Step 9: Write a book proposal.
I took the first several paragraphs from each chapter to include in the book proposal detailed outline. Since I wrote a memoir, I needed a completed manuscript before sending to literary agents or publishers.
Step 10: Freak out because your author platform is lacking.
I had no idea authors of memoirs were expected to have solid followings and audiences already established. In order to stop freaking out, I decided to learn as much as I could about the topic. I read books about author platforms and marketing plans.
I created my own website, Facebook page, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube account. I used the same picture and my full name for each one. I bought the domain name for www.kaylanoworyta.com on Google, which is $12 a year. I began writing blogs and sharing them on all social media platforms.
Step 11: Send book proposal to literary agents.
I researched many literary agents across the country to see which ones specialized in memoirs, which were accepting queries from new authors and which agents were established. I made a list of which ones I wanted to send my book proposal to, along with a query or cover letter. I initially sent my proposal to 20 agents from 20 different agencies.
Here is a list of Christian literary agents:
Here is a list of literary agents who focus on memoirs:
Step 12: Edit proposal and book based on critic and feedback received.
One literary agent was kind enough to take the time and give me several pieces of advice. She rejected my proposal, but the time she took to offer her expertise was greatly appreciated. She told me to reduce the word count of my manuscript from 115,000 to about 80.000.
Step 13: Send book proposal and manuscript to publishers.
Once accepted by a literary agent, I will begin sending my book proposal to publishers. However, I am still on this step. All I know is that God wants me to do this, even if I do not understand how or why. Hopefully I will be able to move forward soon enough! :)
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