I still remember the chilled, lonely, long and frustrating January nights of 2017. After the horrific declaration to my parents of dropping CA, I had to show the world and prove that I wasn't bluffing. But how? I had no idea what will I write. To write a novel, you first have to have a story in mind. A unique story at that. Especially as your first book. As a first time author you cannot simply write a teen romance, every other writer is writing that. You have to have a strong story.
But first, I had to decide my book's genre too. Would it be a romance? Would it be a thriller? Would it be a horror? What genre would my book be in? I am not a fan of romantic novels after my teenage, as a reader I want a book that can keep me on my toes. I decided to go with romantic-thriller. Thriller for me and romantic for the readers, because I also knew many people in the world, especially India enjoy romantic books.
Now, as I was done with the genre, I felt good. All I need was a story. So I began a lot of thinking. I came up with hundreds of story ideas. But nothing was settling in. Nothing was clicking. Nothing of them felt like a story I wanted to tell my audience. As a story teller, I wasn't getting a kick. But I didn't give up. I kept on thinking and thinking and thinking.
And then it finally dawned on me. I finally found a great story, I started writing it and then, it was published in 2018, via Notion Press, under the title of "The Unending Maze", which have been downloaded, purchased a thousands of times around the world with over hundred reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Instagram.
Finding a story for your book is a tedious task. One of the most important thing I would say. A reader buys a book because they want to enjoy a good story. A different, a unique and an interesting story line. And, like I said, as a new author, it becomes even more important to write something amazing.
Today I have written numerous books and working on 2-3 projects more, in both fiction and non-fiction and I've talked to a lot of writing enthusiasts asking me how to find that one perfect story. How to explore, how to take out a story that people will want to read.
The answer is simple. Explore. Both inside and outside. Go internal. Spend time with yourself, think about all your experiences, stories, use your own imagination and creativity. Go and read books, go and meet a lot of new people around your city, travel, watch movies, hear music. Stories are everywhere around you. Now all you need to do is spot them.
Take your time in finding your story. I meet quite a lot of people who wants to write a story others would want to read, something that would sell. I say otherwise. Write what you want to tell to the world. Something only you could tell them. Make your own style. The best of writers were all original. When we stay true to our stories, when we write what we enjoy or believe in, people too enjoy and believe that. We gain trust because we stay true and we write something amazing and unique.
There's no hurry, take your time to finish your first book. Don't rush in with any random story you find. Chances are that you would have a hard time establishing yourself if your story isn't creative enough.
I still get messages on my first book and I feel satisfied that I took my time in writing that one book without rushing in. I kept my patience and I was persistent and it did gave me fruits.
A story is the soul of a book, and you don't mess up the soul. Because without a good story, a book is nothing. Without a good story, a career as an author can be short-lived. So be very, very choosy with the story you're putting out in the world.
