How do you write a book?

I was recently asked this question, along with where do you get your ideas from?

I’ll begin by answering the second question. Ideas come from several sources, a conversation overheard on public transport or in a restaurant or café, an article in a newspaper or magazine, life experience. My situation mirrors that of most writers, in that I didn’t start writing until I reached my fifties. When younger with a family to raise, there were never enough hours in a day, now the children have flown the nest, I have plenty of time to pursue my love of the written word.

Once you have an idea for your book, you need to do a brief outline of it. Think about your target audience, before you start. What genre does your book belong to, is there an age limit for the reader? Some writers will do outlines for each chapter before they start, others will just type out the story from memory. Only you as the writer can decide how your book will progress.

Now you’ve written your book, you’ll need a cover. If you’re an illustrator or artist with access to photoshop, that is easily solved, but if you have no artistic skill you’ll need to find someone to do the cover for you.

This is just a brief answer to the questions posed. I’ll look in depth at the end to end process of writing and self-publishing at a later date