The world is awash in a sea of writing tips and advice. Every writer has their own approach to the craft and, as a result, their own opinions.
The good thing for you as a budding author is that you have a wealth of information to learn from. It’s up to you to work out which is useful and which isn’t, and you do that by trying things out.
In this guide, you’ll hopefully walk away with a few more things to try as we cover some more uncommon writing tips for beginners.
Let’s dive in.
1. Think About Character Development
If you’re writing a novel and you have your cast of characters all ready to go, it helps to think about the journey that those individuals are going to go on. This isn’t just a physical journey, getting from point A to point B, but an emotional journey. How do they respond to the great events you put them through? How does that shape them as people?
Our stories and characters are subject to The Butterfly Effect too. Every action has a consequence and how a character responds usually corresponds with how they develop in the story.
For example, Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings on his quest to Mount Doom runs into obstacle after obstacle. Yet he carries on, it doesn’t let it break him. And this helps him grow as a character.
2. An Important Writing Tip: If You Can’t Work Out the Plot, Focus on Conflict
One of the ways you can help encourage your characters to grow and develop is to place obstacles in their path. These challenges test their skills and their resolve and helps them advance forward.
Much of the time, if you can’t think of what could happen next in the story, ask yourself what your characters want—usually the end goal of the story. Then ask yourself what can you do to stop them from achieving that?
Then list all of your ideas. You can call these points of conflict and you can litter the road for your characters with them.
So one of the best and most important writing tips you can keep in mind is to try and think of ways to stop your characters from getting what they want. You’ll have plenty of plot ideas before you know it.
3. Try Starting with The Theme
One element of writing that many writers struggle with is theme. And it’s understandable as to why.
Theme, or the premise of the story, is in my experience poorly explained. Given the vagueness of the concept it also comes with vague explanations. However, here’s a simple one: the theme of a story is what it’s actually about, what the very point of you telling this story is.
For example, the point of Lord of the Rings was to prove that good can overcome evil, even despite the odds against them. And that you should always hope that good will win.
This is then demonstrated through the story and the characters.
So, thinking about the point you’re trying to make first can help build a structure for everything else because everything should tie back to that theme.
4. Don’t Edit Until After Your First Draft
Writing a story is a process and as part of that process, you’re in no way expected to write something perfect with your first draft.
The manuscript you create evolves over time. It’s analysed, critiqued, and shaped until finally, you reach a point where you can change it no more.
A lot of writers talk about feeling the temptation to go back and fix things as they’re writing that first draft. This can be a dangerous thing to do.
Completing a draft is all about building momentum with your writing. If you’re able to develop a habit where you’re writing a few thousand words a day, you don’t want to disrupt that. Keep it going for as long as you can. And one of the best ways to help you do that is to refrain from looking back.
You may think of glaring plot holes as you plough on, but if you can, just make a note for later that you need to fix it.
5. You Don’t Need to Write Everyday
Many people start writing as a hobby, something to fill their void of spare time. However, it’s an infectious pursuit and soon you may find the desire to write taking over.
We may then become locked in a battle with time. Many of us have to work to live and that takes up a lot of time. And then there are the woes of life itself to contend with.
It’s important to appreciate how much time you have to write. If you only get an hour a week, it’s unreasonable to expect to write a novel in six months.
The more time you put into it, though, the more you’ll get out of it.
But what you can put in is still tremendous progress. Every word you get down on paper is a step toward achieving your writing goal. Don’t beat yourself up for not getting more done. Just do what you can and keep focusing on the finish line.
Writing a big project like a novel is very much like running a marathon. The mental challenges are the same. And they’re often the trickier ones to overcome.
In Summary
Embarking upon a creative writing project is one of the most exciting things you can try. But as you wander into the creative wilderness, you’ll soon find traps aplenty. However, by taking the time to read up on advice like this, you’ll navigate your way without issue.
Above all, stay focused on that end goal. When drafting, avoid editing. And if you get stuck with the story along the way, think about conflict and theme and that should help reveal solutions for your character development too.