How Does One Write a Book Using a Computer? (novels, children, writing)

[SusanG_O]

I would love to write a children's book. But I don't know how to start. I have the general , super initial plot, if you will, in my mind from a dream I had this morning while sleeping. But without a typewriter and only an iMac and printer, how do I go about starting? Wish I had my old IBM typewriter. TIA

[froglipz]

Word processing software, like a type writer but uses less paper when corrections happen. Here is a free one to get you started.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/x-wo...78776924?mt=12

[SusanG_O]

Originally Posted by froglipz

Word processing software, like a type writer but uses less paper when corrections happen. Here is a free one to get you started.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/x-wo...78776924?mt=12

I LOVE YOU !!

[Unsettomati]

A few observations:

First, this thread should be in the WRITING forum.

That said, you can write any way you like. Remember that. Cormac McCarthy continued to publish into the 21st century, and he always used a typewriter that he bought used in 1963. Vladimir Nabakov wrote his novels initially on index cards. There are no rules. Do what works for you.

Now, once you have your work created, you move on to trying to get it published. And then there are rules. While some places still take hard copy, those agencies are now in the minority. And while all agencies - and in many cases, even individual agents within the same agency - have their own particular guidelines for submissions, they are pretty consistent in preferring submissions using Microsoft Word. However, many also happily accept PDFs.

This is worth considering. I've written exclusively in MS Word, and I've done so in a format that is fairly universal in being preferred in the publishing world - ie, Word + double-space + Courier New 12-pt font, and so forth. This means that when I'm done writing something, it's ready for submitting without me having to shoehorn it into some other format. That's nice. Because the submission process is enough of a pain in the ass to begin with.