5 Tips for Beginning Writers

This post contains affiliate links.

When I first got the crazy notion to begin writing professionally and get my voice out into the open to be heard, I had a good amount of anxiety built around the how. It was the tactician part of my brain that wanted a clear roadmap on how to get this passion I had off the ground. I fully recognize that there is no clear-cut roadmap for getting started, just a lot of suggestions. With that in mind, I wanted to share the five steps that I took to gain some footing at the beginning of my career.

Determine your Genre

This is particularly important if you’re looking to get into creative writing. I knew that my genre seemed to bounce around from military thriller, historical fiction, and westerns, but I was able to find the common genre threading through them. This is how I came into historical fiction. There are, however, other novels out there that seem to have a foot in two different genres. I think of the series Outlander because it’s a blend of science fiction, historical fiction, adventure, fantasy, and romance. It’s won awards in the romance genre but could be classified as a fantasy novel. In any case, you should determine the genre you are going to categorize your work in, but allow elements of the other genres to leak in.

Start a Blog

Strangely, this may be the most frightening part of writing. It was for me. For some reason, the thought of writing something and then hitting publish in a matter of hours felt revealing. I would recommend starting a blog because it can prepare you mentally for any negativity you will face. After all, not everyone will like your material but you can get a sense of what people like.

For another reason, you have the opportunity to make a little money as a blogger/writer. This can be done through an array of options, but I’d say the first way to go about it would be to find a WebHost. I use Bluehost and have been extremely satisfied with their customer service and their system to help me understand how my site is operating. It might be a little more spendy than others, but I have had no temptations to go away.

Ignore Hubris

Hubris is a word that people may not use as much, and thus a word that isn’t heard as often. I like it because it means to have excessive pride or arrogance. This means for writers to never think you are above the competition because the readers choose who the good writers are, not the writers. A few examples of hubris is the Greek myth of Icarus who flew too high to the sun and the wax holding his wings on melted. Icarus ultimately plummeted to death. Or the writer that believed them to be so skilled or loved that they decided an editor or marketing plan was needed. The public would still gobble up the book.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Will Durant

I always think of the quote by Ernest Hemingway: “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” If we are all apprentices, then we should always be learning. As writers, we should never stop learning about anything. Keep reading great books. Keep learning excellence in writing. Perfection is a trap. I hate when the idiom is tossed out that practice makes perfect. No. Practice makes excellence. Keep training yourself and keep being excellent.

Keep a Journal

I cannot stress this enough. It seems like a silly idea but it is crucial. My journal is loaded with different little thoughts and story ideas/plots that I forget about. When I flip back through my journal (which is now and then) I stumble across it and think, “Damn, that was a good idea.” At times it is a piece that fits into my work-in-progress (also called a WIP).

Your journal doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It can be a regular composition book or a hardback journal with a pretty cover. My journal is a Lemome and I enjoy its durability, features, and the fact that I can give my kids a slight bonk on the head. Keeping a journal releases the thoughts and ideas that act more like squirrels in my head, and allows me to better focus on other things in my life.

Write. Then Write Some More.

You cannot build muscle without lifting some weights. In that way, you cannot build excellent writing without writing. At times it is difficult to put words on the screen or paper, but it still needs to happen. I often have time set aside for writing and I don’t feel like writing. I’d rather watch a movie or flip through my phone. This must be overcome. Always be writing. A journal helps work that writing muscle, no matter what you write.