What are 7 simple steps to transition from a writer to an author? Most people dream about writing a book, but do nothing more than dream. I should know… My life has been spent dreaming about new realities, but never moving beyond the idea stage. However, as I turned 30 (and now 35) I realized that I’m not getting any younger. :-) I don’t want to look back with regrett at dreams that never became realities. Being a dreamer is important, but carrying out the dream and enabling others to do the same is crucial.

ROADBLOCKS TO UNREALIZED DREAMS

If your dream is to write a book - and you haven’t done it yet - what’s holding you back?  Why do some people do nothing more than dream? Maybe it’s only a passing fancy; maybe they’re afraid of the dream being rejected; maybe they allow other people to talk them out of the dream or they talk themselves out of the dream; maybe they don’t know the steps to achieve the dream… I’m sure you can think of others.

BREAKING THROUGH THE BARRIERS

Here are three simple lessons that have helped me publish two books so far: 1. Every dream must be broken down into steps. 2. Carry out those steps. 3. While developing deadlines to meet, budget in ‘relaxation time’ so that you don’t get burned out.

Here’s a list of basic steps for writing a book and preparing it for publication. This is designed to provide an outline for you. It might seem oversimplified, but when you understand the basics, then all the complicated things are seen in context.

1. write (no writing no book. focus on getting your thoughts out.)

2. edit (make your writing concise and fluid. I like to play the line/word game. If it took 3 lines to get my point across, can I say it in two?  If it took 20 words, can I reduce it to 15?)

3. outside review (no matter how good you think the manuscript is, you need someone to read it and give you honest feedback. They will see things you didn’t see. As scary as it is, you need to do it).

4. re-write (look through the review changes and decide if you need to incorporate them. During the editing and review phase for Speedsuit Powers, many changes I incorporated. Some I didn’t.)

5. re-edit (another edit is always good!)

6. outside review (get another person to give feedback. I had four editors for Speedsuit Powers - all looking at different aspects of the story - and I had teens read the book - since it’s aimed at youth.)

7. finalize (once all changes are incorporated and the manuscript is finalized, then it’s time to seriously consider your publishing options.)

A WORD OF WARNING

I belive everyone has at least one book in them.  Many people have more than one. Maybe you have multiple manuscripts you’re working on. Remeber, you can only publish one book at a time. So pick the book that resonates with you the most and focus on getting that done. Once it’s out, you can work on the others. Otherwise, you’ll have multiple manuscripts that never are never completed.

Focusing on one book at a time has helped me not to spread my resources too thin trying to complete multiple books at once.

GO FORTH!

So get to writing!  You can start by telling me whether you found this article helpful or not.  Also, if you have questions, feel free to post them.  Then start to break down your dream into individual steps.  I’ll be back again to help you along the way.

-Allen Paul Weaver III-

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