Top 10 Writing Tips

Following the advice given below will guarantee to make you become a better writer, and eventually fulfill your dream of getting published! 
1. Give yourself permission to write badly

Let's be real. Writing takes a lot of mental energy. And you know what also strains your brain? Showing your work to the world. There's a lot of stress involved in the writing progress, so try not to care wether your writing is good or not. Don’t be afraid that your draft might be bad (it probably will be, but that’s okay. We all go through that.)

Especially ignore your inner editor when you're in the first few drafts. What matters is to get it written. 




2. Just sit down and write

Sometimes the blank page might seem daunting, but you have to get past it. I know it's scary, I know it's hard to figure out how to start your story. But you have to start somewhere.

What helps me is to divide my book into many parts – small obstacles to overcome. It's a lot easier to focus on getting one chapter done than worrying about the entire book. Start by getting something – anything – down on paper.

3. Have an outline

I used to be a hardcore pantser. I would have an idea and sit down to write, but I never finished anything. I had a lot of good ideas, but no idea where my story was going. I got nothing done.

I know that it's a lot easier for some people to write their story by the seat of their pants, and I understand that all writers are different. But I would encourage all of you to at least try outlining. It saved me from quitting writing altogether. Now I always start out with outlining, and I've finished writing my first novel.

A lot of authors hate outlining, but I have to admit that I'm one of the crazy ones who love it :D


4. Write every day

It's difficult to maintain the habit to write every day, but the more you write, the better you become, and you also get closer to your goal. Win win! You don't even necessarily have to write on your book, you can also just write in a journal or a blog (like I do when I procrastinate). Just keep writing!

Nanowrimo is a great way to learn to write every day, so I would really recommend trying it out if you haven't already.

5. Write like you speak

One thing that has helped me a lot as a non-English person who writes in English is reading my work out loud. The difference between good writing and super good writing is that super good writing doesn't sound like writing. Your reader will probably think the words in their mind as if they were speaking them themselves, so they will notice if something sounds weird.


Keep your sentences relatively short and don't use words you'd never use in "real life". Write like you would speak.


6. Watch YouTube videos

I've watched every writing video I could find, and it has given me a lot. There's so much advice and tips from all kinds of different people, and you can learn so much from other writers. Youtube is a great place to do research and learn to write better. 

 7. Read a lot

 Reading is one of the best ways to become a better writer. Every story gives you something. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. You have to read both good and bad books to learn what works and what doesn't. You have to read to be a writer, there's no way around it.
 
8. Show, don't tell

You have heard this one a thousand times, alright. This piece of advice is one of the most important, and also the one beginners tend to ignore (or misunderstand) the most. By showing, you make the story feel more alive. A story needs to breathe and live to be captivating. Don't say that Dan is angry. Show his nostrils flaring and his hands clenching into fists.


9. Use notebooks

As you may know, I'm the biggest fan of notebooks. My floor is full of stacks of them, and the pile of notebooks on my book shelf seems to grow by itself. Notebooks are great to jot down ideas and go deeper into your story. Sometimes when I don't feel like writing at all, I take my pen and notebook and just start writing something. Usually it ends up with me telling the paper some huge secret of my unconscious mind, or a solution to a problem in my story. Always keep a notebook with you.

Also, notebooks are really cute. 

 10. Finish

It's important to finish stories. I used to start a lot of stories, but never finished any of them. I learned everything I know about writing while finishing my first novel. The greatest way to improve your writing skills is to start and also finish. Choose to write a story you love, and write it until you have nothing more to say. It feels amazing to write "The End", and it's sad that most people never finish their books. Don't be one of them. Finish your book, or you'll never be an author.

After all, "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit" - Richard Bach

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