Several of my “Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” class students have told me that their writing exercise in class have helped them with challenges they’re facing in their books, both nonfiction and fiction.

That’s often the case. Whatever book project you’re working on, writing exercises help.

You’ll find that not only will the writing proceed more smoothly – you’ll write more as a result of your exercises – but your exercises will also help you with whatever problems you’re wrestling with in the book.

All artists, including singers and dancers, practice – it keeps them supple and limber.

Your writing exercises – your practice – will do the same for you.

If you’re not in the habit of writing just for fun, for practice, I commend it to you. It will help your writing in many ways.

Here we are almost at the end of 2007 – did you write your book this year?

If you didn’t manage it in 2007, decide that you’ll write your book in 2008, and start writing it, in 20 minutes a day, on January 1, 2008.

There’s an enormous amount of help available for you at every stage of writing your book, but YOU need to put pen to paper, and put one word after another.

Here’s someone who did it. The Advocate – www.newarkadvocate.com – Newark, Ohio reports that when she started writing her book: “The characters soon came to life on the computer. My advice to aspiring writers would be to write about something you know and to thoroughly research the subject. If you are writing a memoir, search your own memories, and ask family members to contribute theirs. My best resource was my 90-year-old aunt, who shared stories with me. I also researched history of the times so I could weave it throughout the story.”

Everyone can manage 20 minutes a day: in your lunch hour, on the train, before you go to bed – just start writing.

Start anywhere, write anything. All creative work seems like chaos, but you’ll be surprised that if you persevere, your book will take shape.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Many authors have touted the effects of publishing your book on the Web as a promotional tool for bookstore sales.

This New York Times article Crossover Dreams: Turning Free Web Work Into Real Book Sales reports regarding the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which was published free online: “Mr. Kinney, a design director at Family Education Network, a unit of Pearson that operates Funbrain, where ‘Wimpy Kid’ first appeared, spent 10 years writing the book and always intended to publish it in print form. But after discussing it with his boss, Jess Brallier, the publisher of the Family Education Network, Mr. Kinney decided to serialize his book on Funbrain.com in part to attract children to the site during the summer. As an unknown author, he figured he might gain more exposure if he published the book — which looks as if it could be a hand-written diary of a mischievous middle-school boy — on a Web site with thousands of daily visitors in his target market.”

However, PublishersLunch Deluxe, from PublishersMarketplace says:

The NYT cites the illustrated children’s novel DIARY OF A WIMPY KID as the latest example that material available for free on the internet can still have value in traditional book form. In this case, Abrams has sold 147,000 copies tracked via Bookscan, and a larger version of what became the book (1,300 online pages in all) remains posted at Funbrain.com, where it has been a popular feature. But at least one retailer says the sales are due to good word-of-mouth for the book rather than viral attention driven by the web version.

So what’s best? Should you publish your book online free as a promotional tool as you write the book?

My gut feeling, if you’re a new writer, and don’t know much about selling your book is – yes.

You get these benefits:

* a readership

* publisher interest once the readership is big enough

* confidence in yourself – readers tend to give you confidence

* motivation to continue writing, because of the interaction with readers.

Serial other-woman Sarah Symonds learned to write, and self-published a sensational book, Having An Affair? A Handbook For The Other Woman, which was snatched up by Random House

The mistress of self-delusion: Lord Archer’s ex-lover’s guide to the virtues of being the ‘other woman’ reports: “In the end, she spent £1,500 publishing it herself. But following her appearance on Oprah in October – her book was picked up by Random House. ‘The best form of revenge is success,’ she says. ‘I really hope Mr X sees me doing well.’”

The takeaway from this article (questions of morality to one side) is if you’re handed a lemon, you can make lemonade when you write about it.

Appearing on Oprah sets the “bestseller” seal on a book.

Your life experiences may not be as sensational as those of Sarah Symonds, but whatever they are, you can write about them. Who knows? You may end up appearing on Oprah too.

Want to write a book? You can. However, writing a book is a journey. A novel or nonfiction book which may take four hours to read may take a year to write. Your preparations before writing the book can make the difference between completing the book and the book stalling, as well as between the book’s ultimate success or failure.

Let’s look at how you can get started writing your book the right way.

One of the biggest dangers during the time it takes you to write a book is that the book’s focus will change as you write it – books tend to morph, because they take time to write and you’re changing as you write the book.

Create a map of your book before you start writing; this map will help you to stay focused. It helps you to complete your book.

Create a map of your book before you start writing it

A “map” of your book can be a simple paragraph (a blurb), or it may be many pages long, in which case it’s called a synopsis if it’s a novel, and an outline if it’s a nonfiction book.

Your agent and editor will demand a synopsis/ outline as part of your book’s package: these treatments are sales tools. Some authors write the book first, and then create the synopsis/ outline.

However, a blurb is your own personal map before you start writing. (The actual back cover blurb is written while the book’s making its way to publication.)

Look at the back covers of several books of the kind of book you’re writing to get an idea of what constitutes a blurb. A blurb is more than a summary, it’s an enticement for bookstore browsers to buy the book.

A novel’s blurb offers entertainment; a nonfiction book’s blurb offers benefits to the reader.

Take your time writing your blurb

Some writers find blurbs challenging. They’re inspired, they just want to start writing. However, taking a week or two to create a blurb which excites you can save you much time in writing. It’s your map. Without a map you will lose your way.

A blurb is a vital part of your preparations for writing your book. You’ll find that the time you invest in writing a blurb is repaid when you write a book, because not only does it make writing your book easier, it also increases your chances of writing a book which sells.

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Angela Booth is a writing teacher as well as the author of novels and nonfiction books by major publishers; she can help you to write your book when you subscribe to her free writing prompts and writing tips, Your EveryDay Write. Angela offers you 30 years’ of experience to help you to success as a novelist or writer of nonfiction books.