Writing Tips for Beginners
I wanted to delve a little deeper into some writing tips for beginners. In past posts I have touched on a few points here and there. But, I want to compile those tips, and add some more. As I write more and research more, I learn new ideas and tips to try. I want to share all I know with all of you. (Be prepared for a lot of links this is a compilation of resources.) *Affiliate links in post*
Starting out
If you have never written before (for yourself, not for school or work) then now is a great time to start! An easy way to get into the swing of writing would be to start a journal. Although, maybe I shouldn’t say “easy” because for some people, it isn’t easy to journal. I myself don’t journal as often as I’d like, and I prefer to write my books instead. That wasn’t always the case though. When I was younger (in elementary and middle school) I liked to journal more. I didn’t start writing a book until my junior year of high school. (To read about what inspired me to write, check out this post!)
If you want to start writing, but you have no idea what to write about, you can try out some prompts. I have a post about how to use writing prompts here. Also, if you already know how to use the prompts, I have some writing prompts here and here. But, you can also go onto Pinterest and search for writing prompts and tons will come up.
A writing spot
Find a writing spot and fill it with all the tools you need. I have two writing spots — one is my desk, and the other is my bed. Here is a picture of what my side table looks like (when it’s organized).
I have a stack of books that I am reading, or about to read. Reading is a big part of being a writer. I learn a lot from other author’s techniques and writing styles. Right now on my side table I have The Art of Intuition by Sophy Burnham, The Antonides Legacy I by Charlotte Murpy, Just Write by James Scott Bell, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. It is quite the collection.
My dream journal is something I keep to write down any dreams I can remember. Otherwise, they are gone within a few minutes of waking. Sometimes I have really great ideas for books in my dreams and I don’t want to forget them. I have tons of notebooks everywhere. There is a stack of them beside my bed filled with random thoughts, quotes, writing for my books, and other stuff. I always like to have a snack while I write too. Today it’s nuts, most days it’s cookies.
Having a place where you feel most comfortable to write is important. But it has to be somewhere you can remain productive. Sometimes I can’t write in bed because I get sleepy. Those days I go to my desk.
What to do once you start
Once you start writing, you can go so many directions from there. I highly suggest joining some writing groups on Facebook. Also, check out my post here on connecting with the writing community. It is so important to build a community around yourself for support.
As for how to share your writing, there are many ways to do this as well. I wrote a post about 3 Alternative Ways to Share your Writing if you want to check that out. I used Wattpad in the past, and now I use Medium.
Blogging is a great way to share your writing with the world. As for how to begin blogging, I have a post here that talks a bit about blogging for beginners. The post mostly focuses on my journey so far. As for where I truly began blogging, I used Blogger.com by Google. I started out with a free site to make sure that blogging was something I was willing to invest my time in. Once I decided that I enjoyed blogging and wanted to continue with it, then I decided to take the leap and switch to a self hosted paid site.
Book writing
If you are someone who just wants to write books, you can start there too! This is how I started! If you read my post I linked above to what inspired me to write — you will see that I got my start with writing books. One of my writing tips for beginners would be to find your inspiration. There are so many ways to do this, but here is a post I wrote about it. Since I started writing in high school, I have branched out to other fields of writing, like short stories, poetry, and blogging.
If you are going to jump into writing a book, plotting is an important piece I have since learned I need. Some people don’t need to plot, but I think it helps to have some sort of direction before you begin. Even just a basic outline of what you want to accomplish in your book would work. Once I started plotting for my books, my writing only became better and more organized. Otherwise, I found myself jumping around and adding in snippets I had forgotten to include.
Everyone has the capability to write. You just need to cultivate the skill and keep learning in order to enhance your writing. Keep looking into writing tips for beginners and soon you’ll be able to create your own guide!
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Thank you for reading!
