Three Must-Know Tips For New Writers

Selby-Benson | Oct. 1 | 7 minute read

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for stories. Whether it’s from a book, a show on television, or a video game. They are everywhere and have been around since we could draw on cave walls and perform live renditions around bonfires, and they won’t be going anywhere soon. Aside from entertainment, they teach us valuable lessons about the world and offer different perspectives on individual human experience. I’m sure there have been plenty of essays and theses on the importance of storytelling, so this article won’t be about that. Instead, let’s shift focus to why your (and yes; I am addressing you specifically) story matters and offer some useful tips to the future authors that have yet to put pen to paper… or finger to… keyboard? I want to preface this all by saying: if you drafted a story, be it 500 words or 80,000 words, congratulations, you are an author! Without further ado, the three must-know tips for new writers (in no specific order).

1. Be consistent

Our brains are not muscles. Nevertheless, there is a reason ‘writing exercises’ earned that well-deserved title. Writing is exercise for the brain. If reading strengthens neural pathways, then writing must be anabolic steroids. If you consistently go to the gym, you get fitter, you get stronger, you get more dates—you get the idea. The more consistent you are with your writing, the better you’ll get. I look back at my first drafts from several years ago and gawk at the strides I have taken, which is the same reaction I expect to have when I look back at my first blog post years from now. As in life, consistency is key, and it’s the only way you’ll strengthen your prose. Set realistic goals for yourself and find time out of your day to sit and get some words down. If you can consistently knock out thousands of words every day (I’ll do anything for your secret) then good on you! But if you’re new to writing, I don’t recommend you set a goal of 10,000-words every day. You might hit that for the first couple of days, and I’ll even give you the benefit of the doubt and say you met that goal for a week. But most people burn themselves out before the week is up and start putting off their writing like that 45lb dumbbell collecting dust in my closet. Everyone is different. I have a goal of 1,000-words per day that I know I can find two hours out of my day to meet. For some, it might be 500, and for others, it truly might be 10,000, in which case I envy them. Having a consistent routine ensures that you meet deadlines, helps you get through the inevitable writer’s block, and develops your voice as a writer.

Okay, so you have a fantastic plot for a 200,000-word cosmic horror story that takes place on another planet. But you just opened a blank Word document, and the cursor blinks at you with uncertainty. The good news is the sky is the limit, and you can put whatever your imagination conjures on those pages. You’re about to embark on a long journey that will take you through all the trials of storytelling and then learning that writing is in fact rewriting. If you’re anything like me, you thought you were Hemingway during that first draft and figured you’ll have a reader-ready story by the end of a year. Let me take a second and bring you back down to planet Earth. You’ll soon find out there are many steps before that cosmic horror story is ready for publication. You can take that one of two ways: optimistically or pessimistically. I choose option A. It’s important that you celebrate the milestones of your writing journey and take the chance to look back at how far you’ve come. From the first 20,000 words to the last sentence. Once you finish the first draft, I recommend you take a well-deserved break after your consistent journey over the last few months (or years). I like to take at least eight weeks off where I’m not thinking about my story. Breaks are valuable after finishing a long project, not only for your social life and mental health but also for giving your work time to digest before you dive in for seconds during the editing process, which is an entire five-course meal of its own. Go for a walk, put your toes in the sand, sit down at a hibachi restaurant, take your dog fishing—whatever you decide to do, you earned it. Cherish each step you take because the journey is just as important as the destination.

I visited my parent’s home and took a stroll down memory lane when I opened an old photo album. Faded disposable camera photos of toddler me on a beach, with a bloated stomach and sand in my hair. Strangers from the past who are etched into my family’s photos for generations to come. I’m quite nostalgic for disposable cameras, with their thumbwheels and trips to CVS to get your photos developed. I’m sure my mom had plenty of fantasies of how I would be once I got older. She might have imagined me growing up and becoming a doctor or a lawyer. I doubt she knew her son would grow up infatuated with the power of literature. I used to come home from school with “comic books” I made by folding copy paper hamburger style, stapling it, and writing whatever story came to my eight-year-old mind. Then in fifth grade, I had written my first novella in a notepad, which I found right next to the photo album. Some kids dream of becoming bakers; others, astronauts, and firefighters. As I flipped through my toddler and grade school photos, I realized I had lost touch with my dreams of becoming a published author. I don’t care what anyone says—one of the most heartbreaking things is someone on their deathbed talking about all the regrets and dreams they wish they had followed in life, trust me, I’ve heard many unpursued aspirations. Yes, I genuinely enjoy writing, and the process, and storytelling and everything between the lines. But that’s not why I write. I write because a six-year-old once dreamed of becoming a published author, and who am I to tell him that his dream is impossible? You need to find your why, and that’s not something I can give you. Ask yourself why you want to write and be honest; you owe it to yourself.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran with multiple titles under your belt, or a novice looking to make a name for yourself. I hope after reading this you came away with at least one tip that’ll benefit you during your writing career or gave you some ideas worth introspection. I want to hear about your work in progress. Feel free to share your own tips for new writers in the comments. Everyone has a story, and yours deserves to be told just as much as anyone else’s. Take the first step and see where it takes you; who knows, you might write my next favorite story.