Writing is not as easy as one thinks – most aspiring writers struggle with getting started. Here are the top four writing tips for newbie writers who have a story to tell but don’t know where and how to begin.
Read More & Write More
It doesn’t matter how simple this might sound – if you want to write and get the inspiration to write every day, then you will want to read more and write more.
This is one of the basic tips you will want to follow as an aspiring writer – the underlying reason is that you need to practice. People who are exceptionally skilled at something keep practicing for constant improvement.
People who are highly skilled at something keep improving by understanding what they are lacking. And the easiest way to find out what one lacks is by watching other successful people do the same thing. Now, if you apply this aspect to writing – you won’t find it hard to understand what we mean.
For instance, if you have chosen to write a romance novel, you might want to extensively analyze the books and works of other successful and well-established romance writers to see what works well for them. That said, reading is your research, and writing is your practice.
But, don’t be afraid to read other genres as well, as it will broaden your perspective, and who knows, you might use some of that writing style for your book. Once you have completed your first manuscript of the book, hire a professional editor and proofreader to do their job.
Also, don’t forget to pay attention to your book’s cover. You can hire the service of the best freelance romance book cover designers as they will objectively approach the subject and ensure that your book gets the best cover it deserves.
Understanding the Importance of Discipline
The writing process differs for every writer. In other words, every writer has a different routine and writing process.
As an aspiring writer who has a full-day job, you might only get to sit down and write after work or on the weekends. So, your process would be to go to your dedicated writing space, sit in that chair, and start writing.
Instead of waiting for an ideal time, you have to develop discipline and go sit in the chair, get rid of all distractions, and start jotting down your story.
Sometimes, when you are sitting in a chair, there might be a time when nothing appears on the paper as the muse does not visit you. However, the discipline that must keep you going requires you to have a routine where you go to your dedicated writing space, sit in that chair, and try to write something.
We all have excuses as we have so many things to do – no one of us is sitting around with nothing to do. The same goes for you, which is why you should learn to understand your priorities and what is worth your juggling efforts.
For instance, if you love getting home after work or college and start to play video games – do you have to play video games for four hours straight? Time management is everything – and while you might have heard about it before, the truth is that not every one of us truly gets it.
Most potential writers never get published because they don’t have the discipline to write every day. Most potential writers would be successful if they just got the discipline and persistence to write daily with no excuses.
Never let go of Patience
This tip is particularly for the younger writers who have a tough time being patient – especially when they are under 20. While most of us will always remain impatient, we recommend staying patient about your writing process.
Patience is a great skill that is useful throughout your adult life. Usually, when it comes to writing, impatience seems to unravel in the following way: you have a muse or an amazing idea pop up in your mind at night, and you cannot wait but to jot it down immediately – and you want to become famous overnight.
This scenario isn’t how it happens for famous writers – ever! It always takes a while for writers to complete their first manuscript – especially if it is their first full-length novel. Usually, newbie writers tend to give up in the middle of their writing project – when things start to become a tad bit boring.
So, before you start working on your first manuscript, you will want to take a deep breath and give yourself a reality check that there is no hard, fast, and hard way to become a famous author in a short time.
Always remain realistic in setting your writing goals – and as mentioned before, discipline and persistence are the only way forward.
Get in Touch with Your Support System
While you are working on your first manuscript, you don’t want to be distracted by unsupportive friends and their opinions.
Trust us – we all have those friends that we are close with but who are quite cynical about everything. The first tell-tale sign of unsupportive friends is that they tend to shoot down any idea as soon as they hear it.
You don’t need such friends at all – or another thing you can do to prevent hearing their opinion is not telling such people about your writing goals or any goals. You already know that nothing good is going to come out of it.
While you might remain friends with such people for other reasons and even seek out their advice on other things – you already know that you cannot go to them openly and frankly like you can with a true friend.
That said, you might want to get in touch with your real support system – these people have your back – no matter what. They are there to lift you up and remove any self-doubt you might have as an aspiring writer.
Also, you might want to join a few online writing groups and make new writing friends that you can go to when you are excited about a new story, theme, and character that popped into your head.
You get the point – don’t go to friends for writing advice who don’t like writing.
