#nanoprep
Tips for New Writers
After some time off to finish uni and recover, the writing tips are back! I had some requests for this post so whether you’re new to writing or looking to start, here are my top tips.
1. Start a Passion Project
If you’re hung up over your first story getting published, you’ll start to hate it. Your first project should be something you love enough to finish it for you. I honestly recommend fanfiction as it’s a great way to get early feedback and become used to critique, but an own story is just as good as long as you join a critique group.
2. Join a Writing Community
Whether that’s on Instagram, Tumblr, a real-life society, or somewhere else entirely, there are many reasons to join the writer’s community with a platform of your own. It’s the best way to find Critique Partners (CPs), Beta Readers, as well as a wealth of tips that will improve your writing.
3. Explore Planning Methods
You’ll need to use trial and error to decide what works best for you. Try fully outlining, diving straight in, Beat Sheets, Flash Cards, Ten Steps Ahead, or even just making lists of what you want to show. One will work for you, but it’s different for everyone.
4.Write
Write as often as you can. Nothing makes writing stronger than practice. It doesn’t have to be “good” or neat or pretty, but words should go on the page. Don’t let your insecurities keep you from filling that blank page.
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We’ve all been there. Staring at our planning document with a long list of characters who are like our children. We love every single one of them, but what about the reader? Will they get confused? Will they be able to keep track? Will they care about any of your characters if they don’t get enough page time?
If these questions have plagued you, it might be time to think about who gets the chop. To help with the dilemma, I have put together a list of questions to ask yourself.
- What does each character bring to the story thematically?
- List what each character does to advance the plot?
- Could any of these things easily be done by another character?
- Do they all have distinctive personalities?
- Do they all have distinctive mannerisms/speech/appearances?
If you’re struggling to answer these with a clear yes or no, it might be time to bin some characters. Bonus questions to consider are:
- Is there potential to merge two characters into one?
- Does this character need a name, or are they just an extra?
Hope this helped!
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Friend: OMG, we haven’t talked in ages! How are your characters doing?
*Inside my head*
MC: *Bashing head repeatedly against the wall*
Comedic Relief Side: *Telling jokes to a nice boulder*
Villain: *Wailing due to lack of attention*
*Outside my head*
Me: Yeah, they’re good.
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What kind of resources do you want to help you out with NaNoWriMo this year?
-H
The first ever template to come from The Writers’ Helpers, “Getting to Know You PT1″ is a 7-page, printable pdf will help you get to know your characters on a deeper level.
From what their favorite foods are to how they perform at work, you’ll be able to map out your characters with ease. PT1 covers the basics, and parts to come will get more intimate and cover more areas of creating your world.
The template is spaced out to allow for your creative juices to flow– perfect for when you discover something unexpected about your character.
Whether you end up using this template for Camp NaNoWriMo or just for fun, we hope that this resource will be helpful!
In case you missed the “Getting to Know You PT1″ for getting to know your characters, here you go!
Now that #NaNoPrepMo is underway, I hope this can be useful for your novel prepping!
Look out for more new materials and posts coming this month!
-H
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