Now that you’ve figured out your target audience and genre, you need to study the type of books you want to write. Don’t call it homework: call it creative researching.

If you want to write picture books for kids, go to your local library and start pulling out stacks of books. Try to read the most recent arrivals to see what the market is currently generating. But don’t discount the old classics. Look at those, too, and try to see what made that book appealing in the first place.

If you want to write biographies, start reading several to see how the various authors structured their books. Did they start with a little blurb from adulthood and then go into the person’s past, or did they automatically start from the day the person was born?

Is your genre in one of the books from the best sellers list? Study the book to find out why it made an impression.

By reading many books in your genre of choice, you will better understand how to develop your story.  In time you will develop your own voice, which is the distinct way you express yourself in words.

So grab your library card, visit Amazon.com, or take a trip to your favorite bookstore. Stock up on your books and read, read, read!

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