I need answers. Not right now, but definitely later on.

I've an idea in my head to turn my Grass Roots Productivity series into a book. This involves what many in the trade refer to as 'writing'. Therein lies my first problem.

Where do I begin?

For my only attempt at NaNoWriMo I just wrote a short introduction to a story. Each subsequent day I wrote more and more. No planning, no outline, no overall story to start from. Needless to say I struggled some days and faired better on others.

Is an outline really necessary though? I don't know. I've never written an actual book before. Some people say just write, others say outline first.

I suppose at the end of the day what I have as a first draft is not going to be the finished article and it will need to be read, edited and reviewed a number of times before I publish it. I'm not looking for a the winning recipe to writing a prize winning novel. I'm looking for practical advice to starting a book.

  • Do I outline the book?
  • Do I just write to see where it takes me?
  • Do I build on my existing blog posts?

I've got too many questions and no answers. Bugger it, I'll draft an outline and start writing from there. I need to start somewhere.