What are some handy tips for writing a book?

Dynamic characterization Compelling plot Useful and strong subplots Intriguing Premise Realism (even in world building a solid reason for suspension of belief) Proper voice/tense/setting and tone for the novel - bringing the reader into the world of your story Fresh and unique story and interesting writing that catches the readers attention and maintains it. As far as process I would suggest treating writing like a job. Write a page a day. Spend some time doing research about the industry (looking up publishers, agents, reading blogs of successful authors and how their process works), and research about your subjects. (jobs, historical facts, locales, names, fashion, habits things to help move your story along). The other advice is to write linearly. Trying to patch a work together because you've written chapter four, eight and ten one day and one six and twelve another day means you now have to go back and stitch in one two and three. Sometimes it works other times it's almost as if two writers worked on one project. Going in order means that even with outlines you still have some freedom to write organically. To feel what should come next.

I would suggest that you write the story and leave out the details (such as what the surroundings look like, character descriptions, etc.). you can always add those later. I myself find it difficult to do that. It seems that a lot of my stories end up out of doors, so I naturally will start to describe everything in detail. This can be bad sometimes because a person will describe something using vivid descriptions and in other places hardly anything.

This website helped me a lot - I kept trying to write books but could never finish them! This guy has some good advice on how to stay with a novel until it's done. http://www.timothyhallinan.com/writers.php

Get a good, thick dictionary and make it your best friend. Make sure you have an excellent grasp of spelling and grammar. While an editor will fix spelling and grammar, among other things, when/if you get to that point, it's still better to know what you're doing when you assemble a sentence in the first place. When you aren't writing, read. When you aren't reading, write. Always be doing one or the other. You *have* to read to be a good writer. Read everything you can get your hands on. If a book is crap, then examine it and figure out what makes it crap. If it's an amazing novel, figure out what it is about the book that took your breath away. The more you read, the more you'll understand the mechanics of writing, assembling a plot, creating great characters, and developing your own writing style. Write about what you love, what you're interested in, no matter what genre it falls into. Confining yourself to one genre, if you have the desire to write in more than one, is silly. Many famous writers cross into three, four, and more genres. Don't let anyone discourage you. If you want to be a writer, then by god, you write. Anyone who tells you "it's useless to try", "don't even try to get published", "you'll never be as famous as [blah blah], so what's the use", etc? Write their opinions off as useless and go on to someone who will back you up as you create, not tear you down. Always, *always* research. You want to have all of your facts straight. Nothing is worse than writing something beautifully and finding that you have to remove half of a chapter because you got anatomy wrong, or mis-remembered an era of history, or got a basic scientific fact incorrect. If you have to research for two hours to write one sentence that you need, then do it. Losing hours doing research is a hazard of being a writer. Learn to love it. ;) You don't have to write according to 'popular' tripe that's flooding the market. If your friends and family aren't huge readers or they aren't apt to encourage you in things that you want, I wouldn't show your work to them. If they do encourage you often and you feel that they wouldn't deride your writing, those are the people you want to show it to. I mean, there's honesty from trusted people and there's hurtful remarks given because a person is clueless, you know? Also, make your book as weird as you want it! Look at Stephen King, George Orwell, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut - the most successful books that have lasted over decades and centuries were thought 'weird' or 'unpopular' by some when they were put into the public eye.

Some good tips are, -have a interesting topic thats popular -have your writing catch you and your readers -ask friends or family if they like it so far when you start -think creative -have a good interesting climax -dont make the book "weird" because people wont like it as much LASTLY -add lots of details.....this is one thing i lack when i try writing. :) Im not a big writer but i like writing poems and reading alot. Ive tried writing but then again i cant make my stories long enough to catch people good enough. :D hope i was helpful!!! -SUsB

Maybe go to a local library they have books on writing for beginners