Will 2010 be the year you write your book and get it published?

It could be — it’s not too late to start.

Although writing a book can seem intimidating, you’ll complete your book if you take it step by step.

Start with an outline.

Your outline can just be a simple list.

Then, get a stack of index cards. Use one card per idea.

If you’re writing a novel, you could have one card for a character’s name, another card for his bio, and yet another card for a scene in your book.

If you’re writing nonfiction, write your research on index cards — one research note per card. Use cards for each idea or insight you want to include — choose yellow or blue cards for those with your own ideas. Then you can see at a glance whether a card contains research, or insights.

Once you have a stack of cards an inch high (you’ll soon have the stack if you carry your cards around with you), spread them out on a large surface, or pin them on a cork board.

You’ll soon become inspired. Then, just start writing. (Keep carrying your cards around with you, creating new cards daily.)

Index cards can seem like a low-tech solution, and they are, but they really help you to start writing, and complete your book.

I wish you all the success in the world.

Here’s some great advice to help you

* Write a book: advice from a master, Bernard Cornwell

British novelist Bernard Cornell gives you writing tips.

* Write a Book and Make It Profitable

Did you know you can plan to make your book profitable?

* Write a book: start with your life

If you’re reading this, you have more than enough information and experience to write a book — start with the events of your daily life.

Discover the secrets of highly-paid writers: free each week

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Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You’ll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela’s been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.

Want to write a book? You have incredible tools available now to tell your stories (or inform people, in the case of nonfiction) in entirely new ways.

That’s what a small company did to win Best in Show at the South by Southwest Web Awards, in Austin, Texas.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Win for UK story-telling website reports:

“We Tell Stories worked with six authors on new forms of story-telling.

‘They were fantastic and didn’t run away from this. They want to do it again. We need that creative talent, great story telling and want them to be excited about the potential of this new medium.’

Some of the stories use tools like Twitter and weblogs, telling a more conventional multi-platform tale from different viewpoints.

The husband and wife writers Nicci French wrote live for an hour each day for five days, with readers able to see the story unfold one sentence at a time.”

What new forms of media could YOU use in your book? Publishers are ready for you to be truly creative, so use your inspirations.

Are you wondering how you’ll make money while you’re writing a book? Since the writing can take several years, you need ways to survive while you’re writing. Even more importantly, you need creative ways to build buzz, so that there are eager readers waiting for your book long before it hits the bookstore shelves.

Let’s look at three ways in which you can not only make money while you’re writing your book, you can also market it. Your innovative marketing skills will make your book more attractive to a publisher, so you may even get a book contract long before your book is finished.

By the way: here’s a big tip. Realize that marketing your book is always up to you. Publishers do not market for you. While they may pay for author tours for prospective bestsellers for which they’ve paid million dollar advances, 99 per cent of authors market their books themselves. Before a publisher gives you a contract, your editor will want to see your marketing plan for your book.

Hence, if you’ve been marketing your book from the beginning, you’re much more attractive to a publisher.

1. Publish your book on your blog while you’re writing

I’ve written about blogging your book many times, so I won’t go over the same ground again: it’s essential. Moreover, your blog can earn income for you as you use it for promotion.

2. Publish magazine articles based on your book while you’re writing

Another way to build buzz for your book is to write magazine articles based on it. All magazines give you a byline, and a mini bio, in which you can say something like: “Sara Jane Masterson-Edwards currently hard at work on a book tentatively titled ________. Read her blog at _________.”

When you find checks from magazines in your mailbox every month or two, they help to defray your costs as you write, and of course they build buzz for your book, making you irresistible to publishers.

3. Publish ebooks based on your book while you’re writing

Finally consider whether you can publish ebooks based on the topic of your book while you’re writing it. Hint: fiction doesn’t sell well, so rather than publishing a chapter of your mystery novel as an ebook, publish an ebook using the research for your novel, viz: “Ten Ways to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft”. or “49 Clever Ways to Market Your Book.”

Your ebook spin-offs may surprise you: you may make more money from your ebooks than you eventually do for your book.

OK — there you have three great ways to make money while you’re writing your book, and to generate buzz too.

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Novels take commitment. A book you can read in three hours can take anywhere from three months to three years to write.

Here’s a cute idea for you if you can’t get started writing: use Twitter.

How to Start a Twitter Novel suggest a plan to write a “Twitter novel”:

“1. Throw Out The Manuscript

Twitter is instantaneous. Serializing a manuscript may be easy, but trying to contract and make logical sense of it in 140 character bursts is not. By doing this, you limit the flexibility that Twitter grants in presenting your fiction. Start fresh.”

Now, of itself, a Twitter novel may be close to useless. However, it can provide you with inspiration to write if you outline your “real” novel 140 characters a time in Twitter.

Responses from your followers will help.

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Many writers write their book, and then start to sell it. This is going about the process the wrong way.

The time to start selling your book is as you write it. This applies whether you’re writing a book for a traditional publisher, or you’re self-publishing an ebook or hardcover book.

In the article Fast ebooks — you can do it too — Angela Booth’s Fab Freelance Writing Blog I reported on the process I’m following for a new ebook I’m writing:

“1. I bought a domain name as soon as I got the idea;

2. I transferred the DNS to my Web host, and set up a ‘coming soon’ index page, with an article on the topic of the ebook. This is so the site gets indexed; I want it to be indexed before the ebook’s ready;

3. I’ve started creating graphics for the site and ebook. Yes, I could outsource the graphics. However, I enjoy doing it, and my graphics guy disappointed me with unusable graphics the last time I outsourced, so there’s less hassle in doing it myself. And, as I create the graphics, I can feel my enthusiasm building…;

4. I outlined the ebook in ten minutes. I’ve been writing articles on the topic so I already know what I want to say;”

If you want your book to sell, and sell well, you must start selling it… as you write it.

So if you’re currently writing a book, and haven’t thought about how you’ll sell it (you’ll need to sell it, even if you’re going the traditional publishing route) start today.

Write It Once And Sell It Forever

Get A Constant Flow Of Cash By Writing And Selling Ebooks… It’s Much, Much Easier Than You Think

Ebooks are BIG online. Most ebooks contain from five to 100 pages, and sell anywhere from $10 to $100 dollars, and over, depending on the information. Clever writers are realizing that there’s gold in ebooks, and that they’re well-placed to mine that gold…

Discover how you can self-publish online, and make a great income, writing and selling ebooks with “Write and Sell an eBook: Every Writer’s Quick-Action Guide To Writing Ebooks”..