If I could only say one thing to newbie writers it'd be: FINISH YOUR BOOK. But lucky me, I get to say a bit more. (YAY!) Truly though! I think finishing something is crucial to your growth as a writer. I never really took myself seriously as a writer until I could whisper "I finished my book". And as sucky as your first book is, it can only get better from here. Trust me. You can't edit nothing! Once you've got the bones of your first book, the possibilities are literally endless.
My second biggest tip is: GO READ BOOKS. Read in your genre! Read the kind of books you want to write! They not only teach you how to write better, but you can familiarise yourself with what's been done and what sells and what fails. And when you read, pay attention to how the author writes those action scenes and how they make the dialogue flow and how they pepper description through the book instead of in clumps. Read a lot. It'll help.
And I'll leave you with a few websites you should totally swallow. Go Teen Writers has an archive full of golden advice on EVERY aspect of writing. Pub(lishing) Crawl has all the industry information. Miss Snark's First Victim is excellent for query/agent advice. HAVE FUN WRITING, PEOPLES!
It’s difficult to choose one piece of advice to give to new writers, as there are so many things that come to mind: write as much as you can, don’t wait until you feel inspired, read often.
But I think it’s also worth pointing out that it can take a long time and a lot of practice before your writing becomes really good, or strong enough to be published. It can be disheartening to feel like your work isn’t good enough, especially when you’re tempted to compare yourself to other more established writers. But self-doubt is something everyone goes through – you’re not alone. And the more you write, the more you learn from each piece of work. If you keep writing, you will improve. Don’t give up.
If you’re interested in starting to write poetry but have no idea where to begin, reading poetry by some of your favorite authors can be a great tipping point. Even watching YouTube videos of slam poets performing can help give you a better idea of the many dozens of writing styles in the world, and whether you’re more inclined to write page poems or slam poems, or a mix of the two, or even something else entirely. Take notes, mental ones too, about key phrases and words and inflections you admire in the poems you read and listen to. Then try combining several of them in your own poem and you might find that you create something beautiful. Also, relish your worst poems, because it only goes up from there.
So there are some different answers to the question and I hope that may have helped someone or at least the person who asked the question. If you have any questions you'd like others to answer and get some different opinions leave a comment or send me a message on tumblr anonymous a not. Also, if you'd like to contribute by giving some friendly advice or your opinion for other questions in the future then let me know!
So there are some different answers to the question and I hope that may have helped someone or at least the person who asked the question. If you have any questions you'd like others to answer and get some different opinions leave a comment or send me a message on tumblr anonymous a not. Also, if you'd like to contribute by giving some friendly advice or your opinion for other questions in the future then let me know!
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start writing?
Hope you're doing great,
Sarah x
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