Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him to the public.- Winston Churchill
Everyone of us has a book inside us. Well, almost everyone. Those who are fortunate enough to be able to write can bring it out eventually. Then there are those of us who can write but don’t have the time and they wait till they’ve retired or go on a vacation so they can write. But there are also those who don’t attempt writing a book because it simply seems so daunting.
Yes, writing a book is a daunting prospect. The book is like an empty canvas and you are the artist painting a life or many lives on it. You bring out the details or blur them and you choose to work with the characters. In short, for the characters of the book, you are pretty much like God. I feel though, that the writer should never feel that way when writing a book. The moment they feel that they have the power to eliminate any character they feel like, the feeling can become quite megalomaniacal.
A writer should work with the characters to bring the story to life. There are times when you have to make some choices which will eventually hurt your characters and you have to be braced for it yourself. Of course, as I already mentioned in an earlier post, some writers can detach themselves from their characters so they are able to do this perfectly well. But this post isn’t about that.
I’m writing this post as a universal shout-out to all wannabe writers. If you can write a simple sentence without flaws, if you can craft a story to amuse yourself or your kids, if you can dwell on fantasy for even a little while, then you owe it to yourself to write a book.
Don’t feel that you have to write a book to prove something to anyone or as a way of getting famous or rich quickly. All those other elements are perks. The real thing is the joy of creation.
But what book can I possibly write? Everything is already out there, written by someone else.
True. Even as we read this, there are hundreds of books being written and published the world over. But there’s definitely a theme somewhere for you too. Moreover, the same theme can be interpreted differently by different writers and something unique can emerge indeed. Your set of experiences in the world is unique to you. Never lose sight of that fact.
Jot down brief ideas as they come, and keep looking at it regularly so that it might spark your memory a bit. If your book doesn’t require much research, dive into it straightaway. Or if you prefer to be a bit more organised, make a list of the characters you want. If you ask my opinion though, I’d skip the being organised part. Let it all come together directly on the pages. Write whenever you have time. Let the characters and their world possess you. Live their lives and dream their dreams. And get that book written!