Ten Tips for Newer Writers From a Teen Author
By: Ivy G. Shadrick
Tags: New Writers, Authors, Writing Tips, Writers Life, Teens

The first draft is allowed to be messy.

Before I started to officially, hardcore, draft my first novel, I would write a few chapters and go back to edit, rewrite, and revise.

So the first thing I would tell my younger self, is that the 1st draft will be messy. And that sloppy draft is totally okay! Getting stuck and not going forward is what a lot of new writers become discouraged with. But keep it up, don’t worry about the flow, the sentence structure, or even perfect grammar yet. Just write. Get the first draft down on paper, do it for yourself. And give yourself and your characters a beginning and an end.

2. Don’t worry about publishing.

The second thing I would tell younger Ivy is, calm down and don’t worry about publishing before your manuscript is even ready. While publication is a massive goal of many, you need to allow yourself the freedom to simply write. Worrying about publishing can only work against you. And when you have an edited manuscript, then you can worry about that.

When you are first drafting your novel you need to focus on all of the aspects that go into that first stage of the project. And remember, you need to have a full, edited novel in order to publish. So take it one step at a time.

3. Writing is not your full-time job, so don’t treat it like it is.

This next one goes along with the last, but it is to not treat writing like your full-time job if it isn’t. Have fun with it, enjoy the flexibility allotted to you before you have been published.

I personally miss and am jealous of the freedom my writing had before I signed to publish. Now I have deadlines, and if I felt uninspired before, I had the creative freedom to take a break. So, my friends, take advantage of that.

4. Don’t forget to read.

Now, this next one is just a simple reminder, and it is to keep reading. I always tell newer writers this. Writers read, and you cannot be a writer if you do not enjoy, put time into, or keep reading.

It is so simple because, through reading, you will naturally develop your own preferences for plot beats, relationship arcs, character development, etc.

So just keep reading. It will only work to your advantage.

5. Writing can be lonely, so don’t let it be.

This next one is a little bit of a warning, but writing is very lonely at its sole act. But writing does not need to be a solitary journey, and it will be only if you make it.

So share your story, because you never know how it will help someone else. And simply sharing your story and your adventures starts to create a community.

6. Know the end and what to work towards.

Next up, I am always stressing this one, but you need to know the end of your book. You might not know the exact scene, and you don’t need to write out the last chapter as I, and many authors do. But you just need to know what you are working towards, because our readers are not stupid, and they can tell when you don’t know what you’re doing.

7. Don’t stress over your wordcount.

Now, you need to remember as you are just starting out to not stress on the wordcount. Yes, make a goal and try to write every day. Yes, get through and finish that project. But do not, I repeat, do not stress about deadlines and wordcounts before you have signed a contract with a publisher or agent.

8. Need a boost? Try NaNoWriMo.

Yet, another helpful tool for finishing your manuscript is to try NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. So while you try not to stress about your word count, you can try these community-building tools. And with NaNoWriMo, you simply need to show up for your own writing session each day. Don’t worry about the massive numbers or word counts. This just helps with getting in the habit of writing every day.

And you do not need to do 50,000 in one month, you can do less and it’s all up to what you believe is right for you.

9. Don’t waste all of your time on Pinterest.

Another thing that just slows down the writing, editing, and creativity is Pinterest boards. Don’t get me wrong, I have several. But they are easy ways to procrastinate. Have one, use it for inspiration, just don’t spend hours on it every day. Because that time you are taking to think about the story through aesthetics could be used to actually be drafting your manuscript.

10. Don’t compare your journey.

And finally, I would like to remind you to not compare your journey to other peoples’ journeys. This is something I struggle with, and I know many others struggle with it too. But we are all writers. No matter our age, word count, publisher, following, or success.

And finally accepting that those fellow writers, authors, and creatives are there to encourage you is so freeing.

So keep to your own path and do not worry whether someone else is further ahead than you.