HOW DO YOU WRITE?

Writing a book is different for everyone. What I find that works for me is to begin with an outline, similar to an outline one would use in a major research paper. The purpose of this outline is to organize my mess of thoughts so that I can effectively write an exciting novel for my readers.

First, I jot down the many thoughts I have on a piece of scrap paper. Of course, I don't worry about if it makes sense. I just get them down on paper. Each thought has its own line on that piece of paper. Next, I begin to arrange these thoughts in order. I take a pair of scissors and cut out each thought, littering my desk with tiny strips of paper. As I study these, I ask myself what needs to happen first. This can be thought of as a list of things to do, or sequence of events that need to occur. I switch thoughts around, and around again, until something starts to make sense. I continue the switcheroo process until I'm satisfied I can move to the next step of the writing process.

I transfer these thoughts to my computer so that when I'm ready to, I expand each thought into paragraphs. Each paragraph becomes a tiny chapter. Think of it this way. If you read a chapter of your favorite book, then summarized it in 100 words, that's exactly what I'm doing. Only, I'm doing this in reverse order.

So, now that I have a bunch of tiny paragraphs, each of which is labeled with a chapter number, I begin reading what I've just written. I read the first paragraph (Chapter 1) and ask myself if it makes sense. Did I sufficiently summarize what I want to discuss in my very first chapter? Did I include something that will hook my reader? If not, I must re-write that paragraph so it conveys the message my readers need from me.

I continue down the list, reading paragraph after paragraph (chapter after chapter) and modifying them until all of these mini-chapters "flow" nicely. If there is a nice "flow" present, then I can begin writing my actual novel.

And that, my dear readers, is what I've done with She Never Knew. That will be what I will do again in my sequel, The Hidden Truth.

Dear Readers,

Many of you expressed interest in discussing the book in an open forum, so I've created one just for you! Share what you think about the book and the characters. If possible, try not to reveal what happens at the end so as to not spoil the surprise!

CJ