15 Tips For New Writers To Make A Successful Start
Writing is a lifelong pursuit, and the best writers never stop learning or striving to improve their craft. If you’re new to writing, here are some writing tips that can help simplify the process.
If you’re a new writer and want to embark on a freelance writing career, you may be wondering where to start. Getting a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or taking online writing courses by reputable colleges, universities, or organizations are both great places to start. However, you may have done that already and are still not sure what steps to take next. Consider the following fifteen tips on how you, as a new writer, can enhance your writing journey.
1. Read, read, READ.
The most effective way for new writers to develop their writing art is by reading everything they come across. Moreover, so much of a writer’s technique is inspired by awesome writers they look up to. Therefore, if you have role model writers, it’s important to keep their publishing on hand for reference. Underline or bookmark the passages that strike you the most and look for new books to increase your knowledge.
Stephen King simply put it, “I am always shocked and abhorred by new writers who come to me for writing advice but claim they don’t have time to read. It’s like a guy saying he wants to climb Mount Everest but doesn’t have time to purchase any hiking gear.”
Ray Bradbury adds, “You must read both stupid and intelligent books and let the prepossessing and plain concepts juggle your mind. You must become like a librarian and climb the ladder to sniff book like cologne and wear them on your head like hats till you become crazy with ideas.”
Of course today with the wide supply of online books, it’s easy to access them through the touch of a button without leaving the comfort of your home.
2. Write about what you know.
It’s a cliché, but it’s true. Unless you’re very keen on research and are willing to learn other subjects in great depth, stick to your own experiences and feelings — you’ll sound more convincing and sincere.
3. Have your own voice.
Don’t try to be the next Nick Hornby or the new Martin Amis. Just be yourself, and if people like the sound of your voice and what your voice is saying, then they’ll like your book. Agents and publishers are always looking for something ‘different’, a fresh viewpoint and a new voice, not just re-hashed versions of stuff that’s gone before.
4. Create an action plan.
You need to set clear goals for yourself to increase your chances of success as a freelance writer. You can put that success in motion by creating an action plan. Divide your action plan into three segments — immediate, short-term, and long-term goals. Maybe your immediate goal would be to apply as a freelance writer for five content creation companies so you can get approved as a writer and start taking assignments.
You might have a short-term goal of building the readership base for your blog by creating consistent educational articles that appeal to your readers and that will improve your search engine results page (SERP) ranking. A long-term goal may be to finish the planning stage for that novel you’ve always wanted to write and then to get started writing.
No matter your goals, if you don’t write them down, you won’t be as likely to accomplish them, and it will be more challenging to track and revise them. Consider using a goal tracker app like ATracker, Habitica, or Toodledo.
5. Don’t obsess over editing.
Editing is a part of the writing process. If you want to succeed as a freelance writer, you need to hone your editing skills. However, it would be best if you didn’t start obsessing over editing while you’re writing. Focus on writing your article, blog post, or whatever other assignment you’re working on — and then begin the editing process after the draft is done.
As you progress in your craft, you’ll be able to automatically self-edit as you write the draft. However, if you focus too much on the editing process while writing, you could start to doubt your abilities and never complete the draft.
6. Know the writing rules.
First, the rules of writing mostly apply to professional and academic writers while many creative writers will proclaim there are no rules per se.
Anne Rice specifically asserts that there are no rules in the writing profession. “Ignore conventional writing rules, she insists. “The world is looking forward to fresh ideas from new and upcoming writers. If you don’t construct the future classic pieces, well we will not have any to refer to.”
Before you decide to throw the rules of writing out the window, remember that as a new writer you have to know the ins and outs of grammar, spelling and writing style.
No one would want to read a book that’s full of grammar and spelling errors with no proper flow simply because you were advised there are no rules in writing.
Just be a smart writer.
7. Keep a notebook
Carry a book around with you, because, without wishing to sound too poncey, inspiration does tend to strike when you’re least expecting it and by the time you get back to your computer, you’ll have forgotten it.
8. Keep a daily writing habit
Another very important rule of being a professional writer is to start writing on a regular basis, ideally every day. Writing is hard work, and it’s difficult to tangibly improve your writing if you aren’t writing daily. The best writers know that they can’t possibly produce their best work day in and day out, but even so, they force themselves to get through the tough days.
Once you’re in the habit of writing every day, you’ll find that those tough days come around less frequently, and you’ll start to build more confidence in your writing skills. Don’t let feelings of inadequacy or discouragement stop you from sitting down at your desk and doing the work on a daily basis.
9. Do a creative writing course
You don’t have to do this — most writers don’t. But I did one (one evening a week — three terms — adult ed. college) and it really helped me. It taught me to get into the habit of writing regularly, it gave me the confidence to have other people read what I’d written and accept constructive criticism (very important — criticism is the only way you’ll learn) and it was a good way of discovering whether or not I could actually write well enough to attempt a novel.
10. Join a writing group
Finding a group of peers who you can exchange writing with is a great way to make connections in the literary world and learn from diverse voices.
Writers groups are usually free to join and a great resource to get additional sets of eyes on a piece of writing you are working on. Getting feedback from someone you know and trust can vastly improve your work and help you take stock of the progress you make as a writer.
11. Use well-known authors online as a resource.
If you have a few favorite well-known authors, follow their social media accounts so you can track their writing journey and learn from them. Check out their websites and sign up for their newsletters or subscribe to their blog. When deciding which authors, writers, or bloggers to follow, focus on ones that offer educational writing advice.
12. Become a more diligent researcher.
There are online scams that are disguised as legitimate writing opportunities. Some publishing opportunities, like vanity publishers, want you to pay to get your book published with them.
If you want to succeed as a writer, you need to become a diligent researcher. Learn how to dig deeper when searching online for the next freelance opportunity or deciding which blog platform to use or which publisher to submit to your manuscript. It would help if you were your own best advocate for finding the right legitimate opportunities for your career as a writer.
13. Write in a variety of forms.
Just because you gravitate toward one area of writing doesn’t mean you should stop exploring. Writing in a form or medium that you don’t have much experience with can be a great way to develop your voice and strengthen parts of your writing that you might usually neglect. Switching between projects can also be a great way to break out of writer’s block and avoid staring at the dreaded blank page.
If you’re working on a short story, consider blogging about something totally unrelated. If you’re stuck on your first novel, write a nonfiction piece about a seminal event from your past. Experimenting with different forms will also make you a more versatile and marketable professional writer.
14. Stay focused on pursuing your writing dreams.
Only you can decide whether or not you will succeed. Sure, great opportunities may come knocking at your door. However, if you don’t stay focused or start to get discouraged when things move too slowly, you could give up on your writing dreams.
Write yourself a letter stating your top ten reasons for writing and keep it in a safe place, like your journal or saved in a digital file. Whenever you begin to lose focus or feel discouraged, reread the letter to remind yourself why you want to write. Hopefully, that can inspire you to keep following your writing dreams.
15. Finally, be unique.
No matter how much you try to perfect your writing, there will always be a better and smarter writer than you. This doesn’t mean that your writing is insignificant but rather an opportunity for you to create stories from your unique perspective.
Neil Gaiman stresses this point by stating, “write stories that only you can narrate because there is only one you.”
By following the fifteen tips outlined in this article, you can begin to augment your writing skills and build a solid foundation as a successful freelance writer, blogger, or author. You’ll need to be open to change and realize that you’ll experience growing pains as a writer. However, if your dream is to become successful in the writing industry, you’ll welcome the growing process.
