(Philosocom Writing Directory)
If you're planning to write a book, whether in the near or far future, consider the following questions before attempting to write a book, as these questions might help you a lot before publishing, or even deciding to do something else:
· Am I capable enough to write that much? Writing a book requires skill which allows you to write beyond mere laconic sentences. While the amount may be dependent on your type of book, there is still a demanding minimum amount of words - or pages, to be exact - that printing and publishing firms may require. Perhaps you’ll have everything you want to say in only a few lone thousand words, and that’s not enough for the creation of a decent book.
Writing a book is a expressive ability not everyone are capable of. I myself, after writing a few books, have decided to mainly write articles, as they are shorter and more concise than a potential book on the same subject. One reader even told me once, that some ideas were repeating themselves in one of my books. Such repetition could've been avoided simply by writing articles such as this.
· What do I want to express through my writing? This may be the most important question when writing a book, because writing is supposed to be a form of communication to deliver to other people your thoughts, feelings, opinions, and information. Do you have something you want to channel to others by writing a book? What would the subject, or subjects, your book would be about? Even if you're writing a story, those who don't have anything to communicate or emote to others would have a very hard time in writing, let alone in the specific writing of a book.
It is, in the end, a form of communication, a text you give to someone to receive and understand. If you have nothing to say, consider waiting until you have some sort of a message, or a theme, if you're writing a book. That way, you will give greater value to your readers, who took the time to not only read your book but to buy it with money that may not necessarily return to them. That is how important you can be to your readers, regardless of their ultimate reception of your writing. Don't make them feel as if they are wasting their time, and more importantly, that you disregard them. You're selling a product; sell it with love and care.
Do I have the money? Not all people have the funds required to publish a book. I myself sent my books to a private printing firm, because to be publicly distributed in bookstore corporations is too expensive in my country, and even non-beneficial, considering the short and temporary lifespan of the average book on the store's shelf. It’s much cheaper to print your book in a printing house and simply give it to other people yourself, and perhaps create a PDF file and share it to the internet if you wish for a far greater reach.
Nevertheless, writing for money is not always efficient, let alone write as a source of income, and many authors end up having other jobs in order to make a living. Even when publishing, you are in a great competition against many other authors, whose readers might prefer their books over your own. It's that hard nowadays, to earn a living from books, even if you're a bestseller.
Do I have the time and discipline to do it? Again, not all people are capable of writing a book, and that may be for various reasons. One of them may be lack of time or self-discipline to dedicate oneself for such a time-consuming work. Yes, writing a book is a serious work of not only time but mental energy; two resources that not everyone have in reach. Even if you may start writing the first pages, it doesn’t mean you’ll have the entire time or dedication to complete it.
Some have one, some the other, some both, and some not at all. You ought to have both values if you wish to succeed in such extensive work of writing. Waiting for inspiration, also, won't necessarily yield good results, so try and finding that inspiration on your own. Some of my articles have come into fruition after looking up philosophical questions online.
Will I be prepared to receive criticism? While my books received many positive reviews, a common criticism was that my writing is not approachable to the general populace because of the level of language I used. I have to agree with this constructive criticism. Understand your strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and do not be afraid to receive even negative criticism.
Use that criticism as a piece of knowledge that can be used to improve your writing skills. If you are sensitive and cannot find a way to filter offensive criticism that might hurt you, then you should stick to writing in a personal forum or website where the toxicity of the public will not necessarily reach you.
If you are going to attempt to write a book after you have considered all of these questions, then best of luck! And don't feel ashamed if you might fail. At least you may have experienced something different and learned about yourself. Regardless of the outcome, I wish you the best of luck!
