The most important thing if you want to get something published - and this is going to sound a bit obvious - is to write. Write, write and write. It might be your diary or a blog or longhand essays, but if you like writing, you need to practise and work on your craft.

One trick is to make yourself write one hundred words every day, about anything and everything. It could be what you see out out of the window, what you did at school, what you’re feeling, what your dog’s personality is like… it doesn’t matter. Write a hundred words a day and see how your work improves.

As for a book, it’s a longer version of that, really. Once you’ve got an idea that you can’t get out of your head, try sketching out a plot summary. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just an overview of about fifty words. If you like, you can then break it down into a more detailed version, chapter by chapter, so you know roughly where you want the story to go. Each chapter can be something simple like, ‘Tim’s birthday party. Discusses Mum with Annie. Bernard mentions letter. Tim upset.’

Or start writing and see where it takes you. I can almost guarantee it won’t quite be where you think - and sometimes the best ideas develop as you write and characters take on their own life in your imagination.

Another tip is to start at the ending. Work out how you want your story to finish and then work backwards. How on earth did your characters get to where they’ve ended up? And what adventures took them there? Throw in lots of drama and tension to keep your reader turning the page!

The most important thing to get a book written is - and again sorry for stating the obvious - to write regularly. I try to get about 1,000 words written a day when I’m in the flow, sometimes a bit more. That means a couple of months of writing every single day to get a rough first draft, which is when the hard work really begins, on the tidying and polishing. 

And my final tip is to read. Mirroring my earlier comment; read, read and read. It doesn’t really matter what, but read widely. The more different styles you encounter and the more authors you experience, the more your ear will tune into the written word and the better your own writing will become. 

Hope that helps! Email me with your comments or questions.

Deb