No matter how old or young you are, book writing techniques
can serve you well.

I've always wanted to be a writer. So I've picked up some book writing techniques over the years that I have used to my benefit, and hope to help you use for your own benefit.

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Even as a little girl in elementary school, I wrote journal entries describing the desire I had to be an author.

Journal entries are especially helpful for those writers who are lost in their own writer's block and need more book writing techniques to get them out of it.

The main issue that I encounter in my own writing is introductions. I most always end up pleased with my choice of title or opening paragraph, but they give me more trouble than they're worth.

Story starters and poem starters are two ways to help yourself think of beginnings.

Take a couple examples that I have used in the past:

When I had to write a paper on The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, I was lost as to a title for it. The fact that the novel is about bullfighting provided me with the best option: A Load of Bull.

Or you can read cartoons. This sounds juvenile and probably not so helpful, but let me assure you, you're mistaken.

There are so many cute cartoons that are funny and witty, and only add pizzazz to what you want to write. I'm not saying to use the cartoon in your book writing, but use it to help you along.

I once wrote a college paper about the origins of the word "ain't". I used a cartoon on my cover page to add a little oomph. There was a picture of two little kids playing near a swingset, and one said to the other, "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."

That got me thinking. I know how "ain't" is used nowadays, but how did it get its start, and how did it become improper usage? My writing was set to go at this point, and this technique of using cartoons helped me earn an "A" on my paper.

When I was in middle school and early high school, I was in love with the idea of learning how to write a story.

I had fun. Writing wasn't a chore; it was a pleasure. I loved learning how to write a story and other book writing techniques.

It is because of these early experiences that I feel I have garnered some expertise in the matter of book writing techniques.

When eighth grade rolled around, I parodied the pop culture phenomenon that was Beverly Hills, 90210 and wrote my own version: Lathrup Village, 48076.

As you might have seen mentioned before, your writing does not have to be yours to be inspired by you. You make it what it is. Find ways to pull the most useful items you have and use them to structure your own book writing techniques.

As time went on, young adult stories seemed to fit me to a tee, as I was a young adult myself.

Junior year of high school was the year that cemented my desire to be an author. I wrote my first novel in that year.

Despite my attempts to get it published, it just wasn't to be at that time. Finding a publisher who will accept your work is hard enough nowadays without trying to pitch your very first novel.

I used novel writing tips and techniques that my junior year English teacher provided me with, as well as some of my own that I had garnered from my experience trying to write my own novel.

My book started out as a short story I had written my sophomore year. It had to be 3-5 pages, and about anything we wished.

I wrote about the most unpopular boy, who likes the most popular girl, loses his best friend when the friend's family moves away, and gains a new best friend with his quick wit and caring manner.

Little did I know that I would continue this young adult novel-in-the-making my junior year and add in new characters, along with some surprise return characters who served to further complicate the never-peaceful teenage lives that the main characters constantly led.

This just proved all the more that conflict sells. People enjoy reading about the trials and tribulations of others and possess a desperate desire to see how it all turns out.

My use of character development, conflicts, twists and turns, and a passion for my subject matter are central pieces of the puzzle that make up the book writing techniques that I use and of which I speak.

TV and movies serve to delineate this point all the more.

As an avid TV and movie viewer, I am constantly spotting potential book writing techniques and strategies that writers use to keep their audiences at the ready, in a state of prolonged euphoria as they lead viewers week after week, or scene after scene, through their own magical worlds.

From Grey's Anatomy to Lost, 24 to Gilmore Girls, TV writers of recent years have crafted perfectly poignant ways to immerse yourself in your love for not only your favorite shows, but your favorite writing styles.

Some TV and movie writers like to start at a season or series finale, or with a scene from that movie and work backward to what they feel will be the best starting point.

Others remain mysterious and keep you guessing to see what will happen next. This is useful in TV writing, but is prevalent in movie scripts, as they have a shorter amount of time in which to tease you with potential scenarios and keep you guessing to find out which will actually come to fruition.

It's amazing to look back on shows that have been on for years or have gone off the air already, and realize that the whole plotline was planned from the very first episode of that series. Find many examples of TV shows that use this technique here.

Going back in time a bit, the astute Ben Matlock and Lieutenant Columbo solidified the power of a few key phrases and wording styles as they investigated their cases and solved them with barely any trouble.

Many believe that TV and movies are just two ways to squander your time, but the truth of the matter is that anything can be viewed as positive if seen from an optimist's perspective.

So always view your writing as a glass half full. Watch TV and movies to hear the masters at work. Read your favorite authors to investigate for yourself how great minds work.

Write a novel, book, play, or even a doctoral thesis. Use book writing techniques that you have learned and that you are learning as you are in the process of your writing.

Open your mind and see all the possibilities that writing offers.

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