19 Dec 2023

Tips For Writing A Book And Finishing It!

Every aspiring author has these questions in mind when browsing websites and forums looking for writing advice. Beyond the solitary exercise of writing an essay, a novel or a screenplay, we all need support and support, rules and feedback with which to position ourselves. Whether we reject them or follow them to the letter, these instructions help us position ourselves in our author journey and understand the writing process. 

I hope that you will not perceive these tips as yet another list that cannot be applied in your daily life because I myself have followed, applied and adopted them in recent years. The result ? Lots of progress in my writing, more self-confidence and a first novel which will be published in spring 2023 by Brandon Editions

1. Trust yourself 

In addition to regular practice - writing frequently is essential, it is what will allow you to move from an abstract book to a concrete project - self-confidence constitutes the foundation on which to build your book . 

Comparing yourself to established authors, to other aspiring authors who seem to finalize projects at the speed of light, or even to doubt every word put on paper brings nothing in terms of progression and often proves blocking. Every published author has, one day, sketched his first word on the first page of his first manuscript. And crossed it out. To start again, again and again. 

But how can you trust yourself when getting started? And how to make this self-confidence last?

Find "triggers", whether it's your favorite books, exchanges with friends or peer authors, or kind feedback from professionals on your writing. Anything that can help you see your potential and that of your book is worth taking. And activate these "boosters" regularly to maintain your motivation over time. 

Be careful, we clearly distinguish self-confidence from arrogance, the first excluding neither doubt nor questioning in order to always progress. 

2. Put yourself in danger, reveal yourself

Getting out of your comfort zone then becomes easier, once your base of self-confidence has been established. But what does it mean to “put yourself in danger”? for an author? From my point of view, it is a question of shaking up one's habits, one's preconceived ideas and coming out of one's reserve and anonymity as much as possible. 

Have your writings read by people other than those close to you (preferably professionals), start a novel if that's what you want but exercise scares you, contact a book club write and exchange with your peers to break the solitude of the author which can so often be suffocating. 

In short, break with what exists and take responsibility for your writing projects, your desires, your ambitions. The discomfort of revealing oneself is largely compensated by the richness of the exchanges, the feedback from readers and the openness that one obtains in return. 

3. Dare to write on the subjects that are important to us 

The danger for an author also lies in writing about what really matters to us, without following trends, and avoiding smooth subjects. Without taking risks. You would like to write an epic but "feel good" novels seem more affordable? Do you need to tackle deep themes but, without knowing how, you prefer not to write at all? 

It was only after finalizing the first version of the manuscript that I realized the depth and importance, for me, of the themes covered and the meaning of what the characters were experiencing. Everything resonated within me and it came out, without me taking a step back. Once I was aware of this, we were able to work on highlighting these subjects that were close to my heart with Caroline Nicolas, publisher of Brandon Editions. To best match the content and the form.

So dare, it is by listening to our deep creative desires that we are able to write better and bring to fruition the books that we really want to write. 

4. Choose a long-term training course

I am convinced: training is essential for any author, aspiring or established. It can take multiple forms, whether it is mentoring, an immersive internship with an author or long-term training as proposed by Brandon & Company in its unique journeys in France. What matters is regularity. 

Through "training" that we follow over time, we are able to refine our writing style, to glean the advice and exercises that suit us best, to question ourselves, often so as never to stay in a comfort zone. Because comfort and creativity have never gone well together. 

5. Participate in contests, text calls

What better way to ensure that your writing is successful than to participate in calls for texts? With or without a theme, these competitions allow you to get valuable feedback on your writing and, sometimes, to share a sample of your book project. Some of these competitions even serve as springboards for authors who are then spotted by publishers.