Rudolf Ruschel has just published his first crime novel. He knows exactly how hard it is to sit in front of a blank sheet of paper with a rough idea in mind.
Many dream of writing a book. But how do you manage to get your ideas down on paper – and at best convince a publisher of the story? Newcomer Rudolf Ruschel has published his first book "Ruhet in Friedberg". Here he gives valuable tips for creative minds.
1. From the idea to the book
Okay, you have a basic idea. You may even already have characters and settings – but how does that turn into a book-filling story? It's simple: be a child again. Ask a thousand questions, come up with the most absurd ideas around the corner. Do not set any limits to your imagination and you will see: the story arises by itself. The hard part only comes now, because once you have the story, work out the core conflict and tell it in one sentence. Is the sentence exciting? Congratulations on the central theme of your story. Not exciting enough? Back to the playground!
2. Before you start writing: do your homework!
No, very few authors simply let the muse flow out of them when they start to write. Even the greatest bestselling authors are probably afraid of a blank sheet of paper. Therefore you need a good plot plan, i.e. a rough sketch of the plot in which you determine where the journey is going and which paths your characters will take. Don't worry, the plot plan isn't set in stone. But without knowing the rough direction, your characters' journey will likely lead nowhere.
3. Know your characters and give them depth
Perhaps your reader will never know that Gregor had an affair with a much older woman and that it went really wrong, but YOU as an author should always keep that in mind. Every detail of a biography gives your character more credibility and depth. The more you know about your characters, the more intuitively you know how they would rule in each scene. So it's best to first write a detailed biography for each important character.
4. Confidence is good. Trial readers are better
If your feeling tells you that your idea has what it takes to be a book, then don't let that put you off writing it. Also a J.K. Rowling was once ridiculed – today half the world reads her books. Stand by your idea, BUT: don't keep it to yourself. Talk to others about it, exchange ideas, preferably with people who have experience. And before your infant send it to test readers. Authors are also not immune to operational blindness – logic gaps lurk everywhere.
5. Have the courage to write for the bin
In front of you: the blank document. In you: The search for the perfect first sentence, the ideal chapter entry, doesn't really matter – unfortunately it won't work that way anyway. Perfection doesn't come from your head, you have to write! Write ten first sentences, twenty, thirty – just go ahead. You're going to revise it a thousand times anyway. Once the first sentence is on paper, you will have come further than 90 percent of the other people who want to write a book "someday" …
6. If you need pressure, get some
Most authors know their inner weaker self very well because writing is really exhausting. Sometimes only one thing helps to win against him: pressure. Since you don't have a deadline for the first book, you have to find some other help. Strict friends, partners or even better: writing groups are best suited for this. You don't want to be the only one who is left with empty sheets again …
7. Don't be afraid of theory
No master has fallen from heaven yet – even a Kafka was not born as a literary miracle. Of course, you can do some things right intuitively, but a little basic knowledge never hurts. Attend writing seminars, a scriptwriting course, or buy a book about writing. The books by James N. Frey, for example, are very entertainingly written and helpful to get started.
8. Read in your genre! Read in other genres! READ!
An old misconception in the minds of many young authors: Reading messes up my personal writing style. Some are even afraid of losing their creativity as a result. All nonsense! Every book opens up new worlds, new perspectives, new mechanics. You can learn a lot from other authors. Sometimes also, how better not to do it …
9. Forget about publishers, rely on literary agents
You are welcome to send your manuscript to a publisher. Or, you could leave it to the shredder – the chances of it getting published are about the same. Why? Publishers are chronically understaffed – your script usually gets lost among thousands of others. Better to turn to literary agencies. They know the market, the right people and need fresh ideas like yours.
10. Stay away from so-called printing subsidy publishers
How do you recognize them? They ask for money, and not too short. Authors should pay to have their manuscript printed. At the same time, the publisher pretends to be serious and pretends to critically review the submitted manuscript. In reality, all manuscripts are taken. They print everything, the main thing is that the author pays for it.
Would you like a little inspiration?
Ruschel_RRuhet_in_Friedberg_198022_72dpi "Rest in Friedberg": Two friends. A cemetery. A thousand ways to do it all wrong.
Austria, late 90s. In the provincial nest Friedberg, home of yesterday's drinking brothers and other dubious figures, the incorrigible rascals Andi and Fipsi fritter away their youth. But her quiet everyday life as a temporary help at the undertaker ends abruptly when an acquaintance is carried to the grave and his coffin apparently weighs twice as much. Andi becomes suspicious: Is one of the colleagues trying to make something – or someone – disappear? The trail quickly leads to the choleric foreman Macho – but the truth is far worse. And as soon as the full extent of the mess has become apparent, the bodies pile up and the undertakers get their hands full …
published by: btb, price: 10.00 EUR