To be a doctor, you will need a medical education background, to be a chef, you have to study culinary, to be an engineer, you have to study engineering for your degree. That shows that whatever you want to be in the future, is defined by what you are studying for your degree. I admit that there are actually various working fields that you can work for whenever you have graduated from a certain degree.
There is one job that does not require you any specific education background and that is an author. To be an author, you don’t need to have a specific degree and all you have to do is a complete knowledge on what you are going to write. You can write a book about food recipes and not having a culinary background. You can also write about exercising without having the education background in sport science but you have to have a lot of knowledge about it and learn from the experts in order to confirm that your points are valid.
Same goes for writing a book or articles about anything that you are interested in. So, in today’s article, I am going to explain the steps that you will have to follow if you are interested in writing a book about construction materials in Malaysia.
Step 1: Develop Your Writing Skills
Writing skills are very important when it comes to writing a book. It will take a lot of time and practice for you to write without a flaw. These are 3 basic writing skills that every author should master in order to write a book or article that will attract people’s interest.
1. The ability to communicate through writing
Communication in writing is almost similar to speaking communication and the only things that make both of these different are the medium used and speaking requires body language and writing doesn’t. Make sure you are able to deliver your messages or points clearly.
2. Knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation
There are a lot of people that are going to read your books for different purposes. Some might want to know about construction materials and some might read your books as inspiration on how to write a book of similar content. Without great grammar, spelling and punctuation, it will make your writing look less professional.
3. Be fearless
Writing a book has a lot of stages; from brainstorming ideas, messy drafting, proper outline, redraft and writing the final book. You have to be fearless in writing to be able to write a perfect book. Accept that you have flaws and learn to improvise.
Step 2: Create A Writing Space
Believe it or not, being an author requires peace. And everyone finds peace in different situations. Some authors love writing at the beach, some writers choose to write while camping and be with nature and some writers would prefer to sit alone in the bedroom and write from the bed. See? Different people have different types of peace and preferred writing space.
But you have to know that you are not always going to be at that place and you still need a writing space because you are going to write for a very long time. If your preferred spaces are usually outdoor, decorate your writing space so it will look like the place you favour. It helps to improve your writing.
Step 3: Study Other Books and Gather Your Ideas
Studying other books is very important because it helps to develop your ideas and know what writing method is suitable for that specific kind of writing. For example, you want to write about construction materials. Even if you are a certified engineer, you still have to know how to convey your knowledge in a proper way.
Reading other books is also convenient and helpful for your brainstorming process. You might get another idea from studying other books and will be able to improvise your writing. While gathering ideas, there are some things that you should take into consideration which is what is your main reason for writing the book, who are your targeted readers and so on. That will define how you will gather your ideas and how to deliver it.
Step 4: Ask the Experts and Start Drafting
If the book you are going to write is not something that you are expert in, always ask the person that you know who is a professional in construction materials. There are various people that you can find with different tips and knowledge, so always ask everyone that you think is professional about what you are going to write.
After asking the experts, you can start drafting your book. Actually, it depends on you whether you want to ask before drafting or while drafting or after drafting. Different people have different writing styles and you have to know what is yours so that you will be able to write smoothly.
Step 5: Make a Schedule and Set a Dateline
Writing a book is not as easy as writing an essay and you have to put a hundred percent attention and focus on what you are writing. It is all about self-discipline. Make a schedule on when you should start writing, when are you going to stop for a quick break and when are you going to rest.
You should also set a dateline in order to make your outline or book complete on time. Setting a dateline will help to increase your focus and it sometimes help with avoiding writer’s block (which every author should prevent).
The final step that you have to do before publishing your book is to hire someone to proofread your writings and check the grammar, spelling, punctuation, writing style and authenticity.