Ask HN: I want to write a book (fiction)

Well, starting with tools, I have heard good things about Scrivener: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html

I think it helps you to start just writing stuff down, and then, as your story takes shape, helps you organize all that to a story.

Since you say that you have writing abilities and imagination, I guess what you need is a way to start, and this might be it, since you could start in the beginning, end or in the middle and then organize everything as it becomes more clear.

Well since I am in an "out of the box" thinking mode today, here is my idea for you based on that. For me it’s all about the folding green.

First off, I’m not a fiction reader at all. I only read technical stuff, but I do not believe this specific idea is being done in fiction works.

Why not offer to work with an already successful best-selling fiction writer and automate one existing bestseller work. Turn the book into software and have multiple paths through the story that vary depending upon user input. Let the reader modify the character names, and put in some random paths that auto-generate depending on the readers choices. Have the ending be totally random from a choice of 10 endings.

Instead of a single story, the reader would be buying a set of random stories with a common thread based on a best seller. You could try selling it through regular book channels like Amazon and Borders and let the reader have 3 complete reads for X dollars plus the ability to recharge the number of available re-reads via a website generated password for X dollars.

Offer a 50/50 split on the net profits with the author on the shipped software.

The benefit to you would be starting out with a product that already has a proven demand—more likely to have cash flow. Plus you can learn the business somewhat.

The benefit to the author is additional income and lots of media exposure publicizing the book.

If this is popular, every so often the scenarios, paths and randoms can be refreshed online for an additional fee.

The interactiveness of the story may draw additional new readers (buyers) plus re-sell to those who bought the hardcopy. A lot of new books come out every year and from a money in pocket standpoint not very many hit a home run. It seems logical that piggybacking our type of technical expertise on a proven winner might make you a lot more money than trying to go it alone.

Note: If you do this and make it big, you owe me a pizza for this. (I’m serious)

Please start here: It was thirty years after bogleron emancipated the children of the shadowrealm...

Two key lessons I learned:

1) Have a structure from the beginning. Know where the story is going and the key milestones for each character on the way. Be open to changing this, but the key to a great fiction story is the ending not the beginning.

2) Work out commitments. When I wrote http://www.scribd.com/The-Cookie-From-the-Cookie-Jar-2008/d/... I committed to sending my friends (and, ultimately, others) 3 chapters every week for six months, and that it would be finished by election day (Nov 2004). That got me over the line. The lack of commitment since then is why it's still sitting in my drawer awaiting the re-write.

I would say start of with the finishing chapter. This way you get a fairly good idea of how you want the story to end. You can then shape the previous chapters to work towards that end. Ofcourse, you will probably have to rewrite the finishing chapter at the end.