The Two Most Important Tips For Beginning Writers
There are tons of writing tips floating around on the internet and choosing which ones to follow can be overwhelming—especially to the beginning writer.
I would know. I’ve experienced this exact situation firsthand. When I first started writing, I didn’t know where to start. Which advice to take, and which to ignore, especially with so many conflicting ideas.
This is why, today, I’m here to give you my two most important tips for beginning writers:
1. Write
2. Read.
That’s it. It’s that simple. These are my best tips for beginning writers, and are tips even advanced writers should always keep in mind! I believe these two core tips are the best ways to learn and grow as a writer.
Now, you may be thinking, “Really? That’s your earth-shattering advice?” But if you give me a chance to explain, I think it’ll begin to make more sense. This brings me to my first tip...
Write
I know this seems painstakingly obvious. Duh, writers write. But sometimes we forget how important the act of simply writing is.
Think about it. If I read tons of writing tips on characters, dialogue, description, plot, theme, etc., but never actually write anything, what good do any of these tips do me? If I’m not putting any of them into practice through writing, what’s the point?
I’m not saying learning about these things is bad. No! These are hugely important topics that you’re going to want to study. But they become useless when we forget about the actual act of writing.
Think about it this way: if I want to become a professional tennis player, and I research everything I can about the techniques of the sport but never actually play it myself, can I really expect to be a professional tennis player? Of course not! I won’t even know if I’m any good at it. It’s the same with writing.
Have you ever heard of the acronym BICHOK? It stands for “Butt In Chair. Hands On Keyboard.” It’s pretty self explanatory. Put your butt in the chair, and your hands on the keyboard because the best way to learn about writing is doing it yourself.
Read
If you’re a writer, chances are you love to read. I know I do. I was a lover of stories before I became a lover of writing. So, for most writers, this tip shouldn’t even be that hard!
The reason I’m placing this tip with my top two is because it’s the perfect way to learn more about stories.
By reading, we can analyze our favorite books and try to decipher:
“What’s so great about this book, anyway?”
“How does the author make this plot so compelling?”
“What about this description makes me so immersed in this world?”
The next time you read a book, ask yourself these questions and see how you can apply what you’ve learned to your own story! Seeing what makes up a good book can be really helpful in improving our own writing.
The same can be done with books we maybe don’t like as much. For these types of stories, ask:
“Why don’t I feel connected to this character?”
“Why am I getting bored during this scene?
“Why does this piece of dialogue fall flat?”
Once you ask these questions, you can learn what to avoid in your own writing. And you can make up your own questions too.
Another great thing about reading is it can help you learn more about your genre. I write fantasy, so it’s no coincidence that fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read. By reading fantasy, I’ve become familiar with the tropes and cliches. What’s been done, and what hasn’t been done. And this can be great information to keep in mind while writing.
A helpful way to read more is to utilize ebooks and audiobooks! They’re a great way to get some reading in on the go, especially if you don’t like carrying a big, bulky book around. This year, I’ve almost exclusively been reading ebooks, which I can pull out any moment I get some free time. Apps like Libby and Overdrive are perfect for this purpose because they allow you to download ebooks or audiobooks from your local library.
Well, that’s it! My two most important tips for beginning writers, which may seem obvious but are more beneficial than we give them credit for. What did you think about these tips? Did you find them helpful? Let me know!