Some writers have been scribbling stories for so many years, they can’t remember a time when they weren’t writing. Others—like me—specifically remember when they decided to attempt a novel and began typing their first paragraphs. I want to share some advice for beginning writers here who might be feeling overwhelmed, insufficient, or daunted by the road ahead.

Advice for beginning writers

1. Read a lot

2. Write a lot

3. Find other writers

4. Work on your craft

5. Build a happy life outside writing

Keep reading for more details!

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Advice for Beginning Writers

1.      READ. A LOT.

Most successful writers are also enthusiastic readers. It’s important to read widely in the genre you want to write. If your experience with reading children’s books ended with Little House on the Prairie or The Boxcar Children, you might not be equipped to write for today’s middle grade market. Tastes, trends, and styles in publishing have changed a lot over the last hundred years—and even over the last ten! Reading widely will help you see what’s popular, what’s overdone, and what storytelling styles are in and out of fashion.

2.      WRITE. A LOT.

Writing is harder than it looks! Your first scenes might lack tension. Your first chapters might drag. Your first novel might be kind of a mess. And that’s okay. I came to creative writing from an academic background, and it took me an entire novel that I wrote and rewrote to death just to find my creative writing voice. Yes, I wrote a whole novel that sounded like an academic paper.

My advice for beginning writers is that you learn by doing. So keep on writing, even when you’re dissatisfied with your results. This quote from Ira Glass says it all:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Do a lot of work. Write, write, write. And your work will improve. I promise.

3.      FIND OTHER WRITERS

One of the great joys of the writing journey is connecting with other writers. They are invaluable for giving feedback, pointing out flat characters, telling you where the plot gets confusing, brainstorming when you get stuck. Other writers will help you level up your craft faster than anything else.

More importantly, though, is the support of other writers who understand how hard you work and how emotionally devastating this business built on rejection can be. My writing friends have buoyed me up, encouraged me, and given me so much joy in this profession. They have helped me get through writer’s block, discouragement, the pains of rejection, and we have celebrated milestones and accomplishments together.

You need writing peers. So find a writing group—at your local library or bookstore, online, at the Crit Collective, through professional writers’ organizations, at writing conferences—and hang onto them.

(Note: Crit Collective has since integrated with the Good Story Membership.)

4.      WORK ON YOUR CRAFT

Reading and writing a lot will improve your craft, but reading like a writer in your chosen genre and writing with intention to master new skills will supercharge your progress. There are so many wonderful resources available, from books on craft to writer’s conferences to podcasts to blogs. Find them, use them, practice the skills. If your critique group finds your world-building weak, study up on world-building skills. If your heroes fall flat, read about deep characterization, the importance of strengths and weaknesses in a character, and writing active protagonists. There is so much information available that we can not only read general advice about writing but find targeted advice for very specific areas where our writing is weak. If you feel like you’ve stalled out and can’t pinpoint where your writing needs improvement, consider reaching out to an editor for help.

This process never stops. I am always impressed at writing conferences to see outstanding authors slip into a class and take detailed notes. There is always more to learn.

5.      BUILD A HAPPY LIFE OUTSIDE OF WRITING

Honestly, this is my most important advice for beginning writers. And it comes from seeing the emotional toll that a writing career can take on talented, resilient artists, and knowing how all-consuming writing can be. Rejection is built into the publishing process at every level, from agents to editors to readers. If your happiness depends on whether you sign with a prestigious agent, become an indie superstar, land on a bestseller list, or whatever—you’re going to struggle. No matter what you achieve, and how easily it comes, someone else will always be ahead of you, achieving more, making more money, getting better reviews.

Writing can and should be a large part of your life if you want to write professionally. But you won’t be a good writer if you never experience life outside of Scrivener or Word, and you won’t be a happy person if you neglect the other parts of life. Nurture relationships with family and friends, do things that bring you joy, and remember that your worth as a person or even as a writer does not depend on external markers.

You are creative, with important things to say and stories only you can tell. So read. Write. Connect. Work. And live. That’s my advice for beginning writers.

Happy writing.

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