How to Write a Computer Book

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First came the research process.

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to say. I knew what other books were out there, and I knew that for my work to stand out above the others, there had to be something different about it. So the first thing I did was to examine what they all had in common. That was pretty easy. For the most part, although the majority of them were full of information, that all VERY BORING!!!

Next, came the job of organizing and collecting the information I was going to need in the writing process. For the most part, I found that the best source of valuable information is not other books. Those have already been written, and the last thing I wanted to do was regurgitate what had already been done. So I went straight to the horse's mouth (although there were times I wasn't THAT sure which end I was on.) If I wanted information about hard drives, I went to the hard drive manufacturers and begged, borrowed or downloaded technical papers off their site. Then I translated them into English.

The came all those pictures!

With over a hundred photos and illustrations, I came to realize two things. First off, I am not, nor have I ever been an artist. Shows, doesn't it? Next I discovered that the artwork was more work than the writing. Fortunately, I have a ten-year-old. If the tips of fingers show in some of the closeups, that's my little buddy!

But one day, it's finally over.

All the PDF files from the layout editor land in your lap at the same time and now it's time to read over all the stuff you spent the last six months writing. One word at a time, looking for mistakes. But seeing your work in print makes you realize that it's actually going to happen. It hasn't all been a long, drawn-out dream. Or was it a nightmare? Who knows?

And the book is in your hands.

I've had two children and written one book so far. The kids were a lot easier. (Of course, that's easy for me to say. My wife did all the hard work, all I had to do was keep repeating, over and over again, "Do as I SAY, not as I DO!!!"

Will I do it again. Probably. After all, I read the Marquis de Sade not once, but twice! Some of the stuff in that book, I just didn't get right the first time.

	How to Write a Computer Book
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Even wonder what it was like to be a professional author? It was all I dreamed about for years. And then one day, I got the message from my agent that the dream was about to come true. At first there was the excitement of the prospect. Then reality stepped in. I had six months to produce nearly a thousand pages of text. But with a lot of really excellent help by a lot of people who worked behind the scenes, the book finally came to fruition. Want to see the results? Click Here PC Hardware Maintenance and Repair has them all!
First came the research process. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to say. I knew what other books were out there, and I knew that for my work to stand out above the others, there had to be something different about it. So the first thing I did was to examine what they all had in common. That was pretty easy. For the most part, although the majority of them were full of information, that all VERY BORING!!! Next, came the job of organizing and collecting the information I was going to need in the writing process. For the most part, I found that the best source of valuable information is not other books. Those have already been written, and the last thing I wanted to do was regurgitate what had already been done. So I went straight to the horse's mouth (although there were times I wasn't THAT sure which end I was on.) If I wanted information about hard drives, I went to the hard drive manufacturers and begged, borrowed or downloaded technical papers off their site. Then I translated them into English.			The came all those pictures! With over a hundred photos and illustrations, I came to realize two things. First off, I am not, nor have I ever been an artist. Shows, doesn't it? Next I discovered that the artwork was more work than the writing. Fortunately, I have a ten-year-old. If the tips of fingers show in some of the closeups, that's my little buddy!
Now to find time for the actual writing!. So far I haven't found the software that writes the prose for me, so I actually had to write all that material. Since I've also got a full-time gig that brings in the real bacon (so far, anyway), that took priority. I had to find time to write on my off hours and during weekends. On Sunday afternoons, I would reward myself with a football game only if I had completed a minimum of so many pages. The incredible sacrifices I made! (Not to mention the number of times I cheated, hee, hee.) Of course, the real pain didn't start until the editing process. You think you know how to write when you start a project of this nature. Otherwise, why would they have hired you to write it? That, is of course, the illusion you have BEFORE a copy editor that used to be a high-school grammar teacher gets her hands on your manuscript. I nearly cried when I saw my Catholic Priest and Baptist Minister analogies ripped out. And when the "Teaching the Nun to FDISK" story was killed, I nearly returned my advance. Unfortunately, I had already spent it on a six-pack.			But one day, it's finally over. All the PDF files from the layout editor land in your lap at the same time and now it's time to read over all the stuff you spent the last six months writing. One word at a time, looking for mistakes. But seeing your work in print makes you realize that it's actually going to happen. It hasn't all been a long, drawn-out dream. Or was it a nightmare? Who knows?
			And the book is in your hands. I've had two children and written one book so far. The kids were a lot easier. (Of course, that's easy for me to say. My wife did all the hard work, all I had to do was keep repeating, over and over again, "Do as I SAY, not as I DO!!!" Will I do it again. Probably. After all, I read the Marquis de Sade not once, but twice! Some of the stuff in that book, I just didn't get right the first time.