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Writing Advice for Beginner Writers

TL:DR: Writing Tips

By Bella APublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Writing Advice for Beginner Writers
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Writing is something that seems like something I would enjoy on paper. The smell of new journals, the sound of pen and paper or typing on a computer, coffee stains(or tea stains, I like both tea and coffee, tbh). I find that the biggest challenge I have with writing anything is silencing my inner critic temporarily and just deciding to go for it.

Now, just saying that(and writing it on paper...or document?) is easier said than done. So, I decided to go with some tips to get you started, especially if you're hesitant to write:

My first tip would be to try writing for your local college newspaper(if you're in college)! The experiences you'll gain there(and the friendships you'll get to make) are highly invaluable! You'll also get to flex your writing muscles and find out what area of writing intrigues you the most. If you're not in college, you could also try writing for a local newspaper in your area as well.

Another tip I would give out is to write out anything..literally just write out whatever's on your mind without thinking about it. No punctuation, or spelling for that matter... just write it all out! When you're done, take a look at it and if you're happy with it, let out your inner critic...but just for grammar and spelling. Don't really go for content here, just fix up any grammar mistakes, and voila! You've got yourself a first draft! Now, if you want to develop that further into a story, put it away for a while and come back to it in a week or so. Try to develop that idea further, or leave it as is, if you want to. You never know, it could turn out to be a New York Bestseller book!

If you are unsure of where to start if you are writing for a specific purpose(like creative writing for instance), try to take a free class(there are online classes that are free for new users, especially during COVID19, so take advantage of those) on creative writing. Some of my suggestions are Shaw Acadamy and FutureLearn.

Another way to get started writing a story is to make a brief outline on your characters and overall setting and mood. As you are developing your outline, expand on parts of it as you get more ideas(and also make sure to include whether your characters would be flat or dynamic, defining personality traits, morality(are they a stone-cold merciless villian or do they wander in the gray areas of morality?), etc. Once you've got that sorted out, begin writing your story with those characters. This way, you can get a feel for how those characters would interact with one another, how they would act in certain situations, and whether or not the story you have in mind will fit with the characters you've created.

If you're someone who likes to jump into new challenges, try a writing challenge! A popular writing challenge like NanoWriMo is a good place to start if you just want to dive into the world of writing a novel on any topic you'd like, all in one month(November). It's a great way to meet friends, develop your writing skills(they've also got online forms, if that's something you're interested in) and challenge yourself to completing a written project.

If you're having trouble coming up with a topic to write about, try searching up writing prompts on Google, or try a story idea generator! A great idea is just a click away. Another way to generate ideas for writing a piece is to try and draw inspiration from your own life, and take a situation that seems mundane and change it up to make it more exciting.

That's all of the tips I have for now. If you've enjoyed reading this, leave me a comment(or a tip) on what topics you think I should write about. And now, to leave you all with a question: What inspires you to write?

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About the Creator

Bella A

I enjoy writing, hiking, going for long walks, and overall, I'd say I've got a zest for life. Follow my instagram: @studylikecraycray

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