Twenty years ago, I sat beside my wife’s hospital bed. She was seriously unwell. I had a laptop and a story burning inside me. That story became a 190,000-word manuscript. It landed me an agent and a six-figure deal with HarperCollins. My first book became a bestseller sold across foreign territories. I’ve published a new […]
How to Write a Book: A Friendly Guide for Beginners
A writer sat by his wife’s bedside during her illness. He had no fancy office or ideal conditions. But he had a story burning inside him. He typed away every night while she rested. By the time she recovered, he had a 190,000-word manuscript. This landed him a six-figure deal with HarperCollins and made his […]
Fiction Writing Tips I Use to Craft Better Stories
I was in a coffee shop in Portland, staring at a 120,000-word manuscript. It was a mess. Every chapter was too long. Every character was the same. I’d written for eight months. A stranger, a retired editor from Penguin Random House, saw my screen. She said, “Your story needs less stuff.” She was right. I […]
How to Create a Book Your Complete Guide to Writing
I sat at my kitchen table in 2019, staring at a blank screen. My dream of writing a book seemed impossible. I felt like climbing Everest in flip-flops. I didn’t know where to start or if my idea was worth it. That night, I found an interview with Jerry B. Jenkins. He’s a famous author […]
How to Create a Book A Friendly Guide for Beginners
I remember typing the last sentence of my first manuscript at 2 a.m. My coffee was cold, and my cat was on my keyboard. I felt proud and thought, “Now what?” For weeks, I wondered how to turn my 60,000 words into a book. Writing was hard, but making a physical book seemed even harder. […]
How to Create a Book A Friendly Guide for Beginners
I remember the night I typed the last sentence of my first manuscript. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, my heart pounded. I hit that final period like I was planting a flag on the moon. I leaned back in my chair and thought, “I did it. I wrote a book.” That rush lasted about […]
Fiction Writing Tips I Use to Craft Better Stories
I once spent six months building a fantasy world for a short story. I drew maps and invented languages. But when I started writing, I realized I didn’t need any of it. The story was just about two people arguing at a kitchen table. This taught me a lot about storytelling. A short story is […]
How to Write a Book: A Friendly Guide for Beginners
I sat at my kitchen table three years ago, staring at a blank screen. I had a story inside me but didn’t know where to start. Stephen King said the scariest moment is before you start. He was right. That night, I closed my laptop and walked away. A few weeks later, I read “On […]
How to Write a Book A Friendly Guide for Beginners
Every January, I’d write the same goal in my notebook. “This is the year I write a book.” I did this for six years. Each year, I’d start a new document, stare at the cursor, and quit in twenty minutes. The dream seemed too big. The blank page felt too empty. I felt stuck, like […]
How to Create a Book A Friendly Guide for Beginners
I still remember the night I typed the last sentence of my first manuscript. My hands were shaking. My coffee had gone cold hours ago. I stared at that final period on the screen and felt a wave of pride. That tiny dot meant I’d actually done it — I’d written an entire book. The […]









