How I Decided To Write My Own Book As A Teen

When I was little all I ever wanted was to be a librarian. I would pretend to stamp dates into books and sign them out for readers as if I really were one. But as I got older I realised more and more that rather than lending out books to other people, I wanted to write one. So in May of 2021 I decided that it was finally time to start drafting up a novel of my very own.

Do not let anyone convince you that it is easy to write a book because in truth it is far from it. From coming up with plot ideas and characters to titles and blurbs, writing a book is not an easy wave to surf. I do not claim to be an expert. In fact I am still writing my book currently. But everyone has to start somewhere and this might be the push in the right direction that you needed.

Back in May I found myself with a lot of time and not a lot to do in that time, and so m adventure began. My first step was to figure out what kind of book to write. Where did I want these words to travel to? What story did I want them to tell? Often the story comes from something within, something that you feel that at least one person out there in the world might relate to. When you have figured that out, the rest all falls into place... kind of.

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Here are 2 quick tips for getting started:

1. Why are you writing this book?

For me this answer came to me easily. Writing a book was something I had always dreamed of but also I finally had the capabilities to do it justice. For you the answer may stem from a number of different things. You might have a story that you really need to tell the world or, you might really want to give someone the representation that they deserve. It could be anything, but it is the first place to start.

2. What kind of story do you want to tell?

By this I don't mean which genre you want to write for. Sometimes you may think that you need to figure out your genre straight away but often that can be figured out from how your story develops. What I actually mean is do you want to delve head first into a mystical society fantastical creatures or do you want to plunge into a hard hitting story that touches on the edges of our true societal expectations? Thinking about these things really helps to sort out some of the questions that may pop up in your mind.

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Very quickly mind maps became my best friend. Ideas were strewn about on large pieces of paper with vivid colours and arrows and a big expression of all the thoughts swirling around in my brain. It may seem like the obvious thing to do at first, or perhaps a step that you are eager to skip, but as a whole mid maps can be extremely useful for organising all of the amazing ideas that you have, and it can actually be fun when you get down to it.

The most important thing to remember, no matter how far you get on this journey, is that you are doing this because YOU want to. It should be something that you pour your heart and soul into, a story that you love and cherish no matter how many bumps you encounter along the way.