What should an aspiring writer know? Practical advice. Useful tips for a novice writer Article on the topic tips for a writer

What can you write a book about? How not to get confused in the plot? Do you need to wait for inspiration to create a truly masterpiece? Almost all young writers are tormented by similar questions. The tips for an aspiring writer collected in this article will answer them, encourage them and help them cope with the difficulties that await authors at different stages of their creative life.

8 secrets of writing

Read a lot

To learn how to write books well, you need to read as much as possible. It's never too late to get acquainted with world classics and delve into the literary process. Reading different literature, it will become clear which genres, trends, authors are more drawn to, and which ones are generally neutral.

The modern wave of mainstream reading should not be neglected either. What do people read on the subway? Which work is talked about more on social networks? It is important to understand what the modern public wants, what the literary trends are, but not to succumb to the temptation to borrow the style of a popular author.

Don't wait for inspiration

There is an opinion that you need to write books only when the muse comes. This is bad advice for aspiring writers. What if the muse doesn’t come at all, or comes but doesn’t wait for the author? Maybe it's worth putting in a little effort?

You need to think of writing as a job, not a hobby. Surgeons do not wait for a special wave to begin the operation; actors go on stage even with a fever.

Accordingly, having allocated several hours a day for work, it is worth spending them on writing text. It doesn’t matter what it is – bad, free, detached from the topic. Soon you will develop the habit of writing, perseverance, and the need for solitude.

You need to remember that:

50 words is a paragraph.
Another 350 is a page.
300 such pages are already a novel.
Writing every day is a habit.
Reworking weak points is improvement.
Giving someone something to read is feedback.
You shouldn't be upset when publishing houses refuse. This is writing.

Create a bank of ideas

Beginning authors are concerned about the question of what they can write about. All advice to an aspiring writer is related to him. To close it down forever, you can create a bank of your own ideas. You need to replenish it every day by adding any 5 ideas to the archive. Write down everything that comes to mind or catches your eye: a scene you saw in a supermarket, a funny incident, an absurd story. Over time, the bank of topics will seem like a real treasure trove of unique ideas. It remains to logically connect the brightest ones with each other.

Create a mental map

Branches are drawn from it in different directions. Each of them is an association leading to the main idea. The diagram should be branched until the picture becomes complete.

There are many free programs on the Internet that even a beginner can use to create mental maps.

If during writing it seems that there is a dead end ahead, the map will become a beacon indicating the traveler in which direction to move next.

Search for impressions

Much of the advice that seasoned authors give to aspiring writers boils down to the recommendation to live brightly. What does it mean? Fill your days with live communication with different people, travel more, try new things. Then the created images will become harmonious, and the descriptions of the landscape will become deeper.

All writers need emotions, impressions, events. For example, young science fiction writer Max Kidruk sits down to write his techno-thrillers after traveling to different parts of the planet. As he himself admits, the more extreme the trip, the brighter the episode will be written.

Be prepared for obstacles

Unfortunately, writer's block is not a myth; it really happens. Sooner or later, everyone encounters them, but there is no need to be afraid of them, since, having survived the turning point, we reach a new, higher level.

In addition to fighting with yourself, you should be prepared for the fact that others may not understand the main idea or criticize the image. No one has yet managed to please everyone, then why try?

Take a writers' course

Courses, master classes, and trainings are fashionable and useful ways to improve your professional level. The most important thing is that they are effective. If, due to your busy schedule, it is not possible to attend a classroom or such classes are not yet open in the city, you can find an online course on the Internet.

Communication with like-minded people and the opportunity to get practical advice for aspiring writers are worth a lot.

Trust yourself

Schemes that helped others do not always work for us. Then do we need to obey them unconditionally? The answer is “No.” Advice for aspiring writers is just that, so that everyone can decide for themselves whether to follow them or not.

When opening a blank page, the author needs to listen, first of all, to his heart, and not to the voice of the teacher. Trust yourself, and not a textbook on literary theory. Almost all famous people were innovators. Once they decided to just be themselves and were not mistaken.

Screenwriter Etgar Keret recommends starting writing text from the middle. In his opinion, the middle is the most compelling and interesting part of the story. From it you can develop the plot in both directions, and also avoid “extra paragraphs” that have to be deleted if you write from the beginning.
Stephen King, the best-selling author advises imagining your ideal reader and writing for him. You can't please everyone, and the golden mean is never memorable. You can start with a new email - fill in the “To” column and write a few lines.
American novelist William Faulkner Having become a Nobel Prize winner at the age of 52, he revealed several of his secrets of success. He argued that you don't have to be a writer, you just need to write. This process revives and becomes life itself. Faulkner believed that anyone who could read could be a writer. He also warned against writing for money. After all, where business begins, creativity ends.
A young but already famous writer Vyacheslav Stavetsky advises you to dream more. He believes that Dostoevsky, Marquez, Hemingway became famous throughout the world precisely because they dreamed of a new world. And today's pragmatism and prudence, which dominate the minds of writers, do not allow them into the world of art.
Popular author Paulo Coelho cautions new writers against over-describing their own research or conclusions. If you overdo it with “smart” thoughts, you can bore both your readers and yourself. Coelho reminds that books are not created to demonstrate the level of education. And in order to reveal your inner world.

The tips for an aspiring writer that you just learned about are an effective pill for despondency or creative crisis. Having enlisted the support of famous authors and gathered your will into a creative fist, you will soon be able to give newcomers your own, experience-tested advice.

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Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you often see on paper.
Never use a long one where you can get by with a short one.
If you can throw away a word, always get rid of it.
Never use passive voice when you can use active voice.
Never use borrowed words, scientific or professional terms if they can be replaced with vocabulary from everyday language.
It's better to break any of these rules than to write something downright barbaric.

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Use a complete stranger's time in a way that doesn't feel like it was wasted.
Give the reader at least one hero for whom you want to root for.
Every character should want something, even if it's just a glass of water.
Each sentence should serve one of two purposes: to reveal the character or to move events forward.
Start as close to the end as possible.
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your main characters are, treat them horribly; the reader needs to see what they are made of.
Write to please only one person. If you open the window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will catch pneumonia.

A modern British writer, very popular among fantasy fans. Moorcock's key work is the multi-volume series about Elric of Melnibone.

I borrowed my first rule from Terence Hanbury White, author of The Sword in the Stone and other works about King Arthur. It was like this: read. Read everything you can get your hands on. I always advise people who want to write fantasy, or science, or romance, to stop reading those genres and pick up everything else: from John Bunyan to Antonia Byatt.
Find an author you admire (mine was Conrad) and copy his plots and characters for your own story. Be an artist who imitates a master to learn how to draw.
If you're writing plot-driven prose, introduce the main characters and major themes in the first third. You can call it an introduction.
Develop themes and characters in the second third - the development of the work.
Complete themes, reveal secrets, etc. in the final third - the denouement.
Whenever possible, accompany the introductions to the characters and their philosophizing with various activities. This helps maintain dramatic tension.
Carrot and Stick: Heroes must be haunted (by obsession or villain) and pursue (ideas, objects, personalities, secrets).

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American writer of the 20th century. He became famous for such scandalous works for his time as “Tropic of Cancer”, “Tropic of Capricorn” and “Black Spring”.

Work on one thing at a time until you finish.
Do not be nervous. Work calmly and joyfully in whatever you do.
Act according to plan, not according to your mood. Stop at the appointed time.
When, work.
Cement a little each day instead of adding more fertilizer.
Stay human! Meet people, go places, have drinks if you want.
Don't become a draft horse! Work only with pleasure.
Depart from the plan if you need to, but come back to it the next day. Focus. Be specific. Eliminate.
Forget about the books you want to write. Think only about what you are writing.
Write quickly and always. Drawing, music, friends, cinema - all this after work.

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One of the most famous science fiction writers of our time. From his pen came such works as “American Gods” and “Stardust.” However, they filmed it.

Write.
Add word by word. Find the right word and write it down.
Finish what you are writing. Whatever it costs you, finish what you start.
Put your notes aside. Read them as if you were doing it for the first time. Show your work to friends who like something similar and whose opinion you respect.
Remember: when people say something is wrong or doesn't work, they are almost always right. When they explain what exactly is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.
Correct the mistakes. Remember: you have to let go of the job before it's perfect and start the next one. - this is a pursuit of the horizon. Move on.
Laugh at your own jokes.
The cardinal rule of writing is that if you create with enough self-confidence, you can do anything. This can also be a rule throughout life. But for writing it is best suited.

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A master of short prose and a classic of Russian literature who hardly needs any introduction.

It is assumed that the writer, in addition to ordinary mental abilities, must have experience behind him. The highest fees are received by people who have gone through fire, water and copper pipes, while the lowest - by untouched and unspoiled natures.
Becoming a writer is very easy. There is no freak who has not found a mate, and there is no nonsense that has not found a suitable reader. Therefore, do not be timid... Place the paper in front of you, pick up a pen and, irritating the captive thought, write.
Becoming a writer who is published and read is very difficult. For this: be and have a talent at least the size of a lentil grain. Due to the lack of great talents, small ones are expensive.
If you want to write, then do so. Choose a topic first. Here you are given complete freedom. You can use arbitrariness and even arbitrariness. But, so as not to discover America a second time and not to invent gunpowder a second time, avoid topics that have long been worn out.
Giving free rein to your imagination, hold your hand. Don't let her chase the number of lines. The shorter and less often you write, the more and more often you are published. Brevity does not spoil matters at all. A stretched eraser erases a pencil no better than an unstretched one.

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If you are still a child, make sure that. Spend more time on this than on anything else.
If you are an adult, try to read your work as a stranger would. Or better yet, how your enemy would read them.
Don't exalt your "calling". You can either write good sentences or you can't. There is no such thing as a “writer’s lifestyle.” The only thing that matters is what you leave on the page.
Take significant breaks between writing and editing.
Write on a computer that is not connected to the Internet.
Protect work time and space. Even from the people who matter most to you.
Don't confuse honors and achievements.

Today there are no problems with publication: almost everyone can find a publishing house, of which there are a great many, and publish their work. But publishing a work is the final, but far from the main part of the process.

Remember that the answer to the question of how to write a book lies in the talent and abilities of each author. If he has them, then you can count on the success of the work. Moreover, in addition to this, you also need a desire to write and learn how to correctly formulate your thoughts into the “written word.” After all, it is not always possible to correctly express our emotions and ideas in literary language: this requires some knowledge and skills.

As a rule, if a beginning writer doesn’t know where to start writing a book, things don’t go beyond the idea. The desire to learn and the ability to find the necessary information are some of the keys to getting things moving. We will try to help you with this.

First of all, decide what your story will be about and what genre it should be written in. Perhaps you are interested in poetic or prose form, perhaps your idea will be adequately interpreted in the form of diary entries, essays, or even an entire novel. A very important issue that is directly related to the success of your work among readers is the relevance of your chosen topic.

Of course, the answer to the question of how to write a book is not limited to just choosing the topic and form of the work. The author must be well versed in the topic he is going to cover. In order to decide on this, you can choose several topics that you would like to cover, and from them - the one that you like best. Moreover, knowledge in this area should be as thorough as possible.

In addition, you must clearly understand the potential audience that may be interested in your work. The fact is that the set goal and the circle of intended readers shape the style of the book and its direction as a whole. You know that popular science literature is very different from children's or fiction. The reader is your addressee, and he should understand the language of presentation.

Remember that when it comes to learning how to write books, you should not rush into choosing a title and structure. As a rule, during the creation of a work, many new thoughts, ideas, even storylines arise. The writer is a creative person, because it was not for nothing that Leo Tolstoy wrote about his novel “Anna Karenina” (example quote): “Imagine, my Anna threw herself under the train.” The hero's line or the plot as a whole develops independently and suggests to the author the logical ending of the work.

Remember that the title of a work is a very important element, because it attracts the reader and “provokes” him to read or not read the book. Therefore, you need to be very responsible when choosing a title and postpone it until a later date, when the entire text is ready.

The main focus here is on the issue of creating the main content of the work. You shouldn’t limit yourself to any deadlines: it often takes more time than you initially expect. Flights of fancy have no limits, so it’s impossible to predict how long it will take you to write a book. It's better to plan with a reserve.

As you may have noticed, creating a literary work is a very complex and lengthy process that requires a lot of effort and knowledge. Therefore, an aspiring writer needs not only to know how to write a book, but also to correctly use the information received.

The Writer's Digest website published interesting and very useful material for aspiring authors, which we decided to translate and adapt for those who are interested in creating literary works. The material, dedicated to 15 things that aspiring authors should never do, is based on interviews with authors , conferences, editorial opinions and writing experience.

Don't look for the only method

Don't think that there is a strictly defined path or method that a writer must follow. Simply put, look for what works for you. Listen to yourself and trust yourself.

There are many articles and textbooks devoted to the literary process, and the methods outlined in them often contradict each other. The writing path is not a yellow brick road that you have to strictly follow, and at different stages of your writing career you will probably use several different techniques, or even invent new ones that suit you.
Don't imitate your idols

Don't try to imitate your idols. Be yourself. We remember and love authors for their originality, vivid stories and individual language. Imitation is the best form of flattery, but if you imitate someone all the time, you will be remembered as a copy machine and not as a writer. No one in the world has your experience, your personality, or your voice. Therefore, try to express your ideas in a manner that is natural to you. Of course, no one forbids you to learn from the masters, read the works of your favorite authors or write fan fiction, but remember - every writer should have his own voice. Otherwise, he will not be a writer, but a photocopier.

Don't get bogged down in theory

Don't get stuck in discussions about what and how to write. It can be useful to get other people's points of view on whether to write a synopsis before the text, how carefully the work should be planned, how much the author's experience should penetrate into the text, whether it is necessary to edit the text during the writing process or is it better to do this after finishing. But such thoughts should not force you into a framework and take up most of your time. Creating a literary work is attractive precisely because of the feeling of freedom and the opportunity to do what you want and what you think is right. Don't get stuck within the boundaries set by someone else.

Don't fixate on the publication

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Publishing a book is a long process. The novel "Pride and Prejudice" was rejected by publishers and waited 15 years for publication. You can't predict in advance what fate awaits your work, so always have a couple of ideas in mind that you can start working on as soon as you finish one story. Finding a publishing house is an important stage in your career, but it should not consume you entirely and interfere with your creativity.

Think about the image

Pay attention to your image in the industry. The writing business may seem like a huge undertaking, but it involves a number of people collaborating, talking, and exchanging ideas with each other. Therefore, inappropriate behavior, insult or rudeness that you make towards one of the industry representatives may spread across literary agencies, publishing houses and influence the publisher’s decision to cooperate with you. Therefore, no matter how offensive the refusal may be or no matter how unpleasant the proposals to revise the text may be for you, try to think that the unpleasant situation will sooner or later be resolved, and your image will remain with you forever.

Don't explode in response to criticism

Learn not to react violently to negative reviews. There are no favorite works by everyone. Every masterpiece of world culture has people who don’t like it or don’t understand it. Beta readers, editors, and literary agents - all those who read your essay will have their own, individual opinion about it. And it's useful! Try to select the comments that you find fair, those that you are willing to pay attention to, and discard the rest (unless, of course, making the editor's suggestions is a clause in your contract - then you will have to live with it). Learn to take criticism - it will make you better.

Do not feed the trolls

But know how to separate criticism from trolling. Sometimes people try to get rid of some of their own problems by creating problems for others. And if your writing becomes a target for such outpourings, the only thing you can do is ignore the trolls' feedback. Any response you give them will be an invitation to conversation, so don't engage in conversations with trolls, don't take them as personal attacks, and don't try to find logic in them.

Language is your working tool

Don't forget the basics. Any writer works with language. We use written words to convey our thoughts, images, and ideas to the reader. Spelling, syntax, grammar - these are all your working tools, and they need to be sharpened. Have respect for your reader and don't force him to wade through inconsistent endings, sentences that lose their meaning due to missing commas, and mistakes that change the meaning of words. Reading a book requires thought, and as an author, you want the reader to think about the ideas in your book and empathize with the characters, rather than trying to figure out what the phrase "chopped meadow" means.

Don't break yourself for the sake of a trend

Don't write something that everyone likes but is contrary to your interests. There are trends, popular topics or genres on the market, but if they are not close or interesting to you, there is no need to force yourself to write, hoping to make quick money. Writing a book, editing it and then publishing it is a long process. And, most likely, by the time your book is published, the trend will have already changed and love stories between young girls and hundred-year-old vampires will have already lost their former popularity. Why translate the paper? Write what interests you - for sure, among the entire population of the globe there will be someone who is interested in the same things.

Don't badmouth someone else's success

Try to be kind to the successes of other authors. Even if their works offend your literary taste. No matter how terrible the book may seem to you and no matter what it tells you about the author’s mental health - remember, the author wrote this book, found a publishing house and has already walked the path that you are taking. It could be incredibly easy or terribly difficult, but one way or another - this was his path and his efforts were rewarded. Let the successes of other writers be an inspiration to you, instead of thinking: “what hellish nonsense is published, there is no point in writing something good if the public likes such hell,” think: “if this author was published, then what am I Waiting? I need to write and work! One writer's success does not mean another writer's failure; it is not a tennis match.

Don't think it's easy

Don't think that becoming a writer is easy. Yes, we've all heard dozens of stories about how someone wrote a book and suddenly woke up famous. But at the same time, we know that Stephen King received more than 30 refusals from publishers. The Chronicles of Narnia were published almost by accident, after many publishers rejected the book. Sometimes the text has to go through a very thorny path to the reader’s heart, and it can be very difficult to maintain the inner conviction that someone needs your work. Most likely you will have difficulties. But whether you can overcome them and remain faithful to your calling depends on you.

Don't forget about reality

Don't forget about real life. There are few things that can compare to the wonder of immersing yourself in an imaginary world that you yourself have created. But there is life beyond the boundaries of your desktop, and often it is the main source of inspiration.

Be sure to read

Read. You can't become a writer without reading. Reading is your school of excellence and your inspiration. You need to know the classics to understand which works have stood the test of time and why. You need to know modern literature in order to understand what works are being published now and what interests readers at the moment. If the language you write is your work tool, then the books you read are your bus ticket to get to work.

Don't fight the text any more than necessary

Learn to give up... in small things. The book consists of dozens of chapters, and a chapter consists of dozens of sentences. And if you feel that something isn’t working, that this sentence, word, or plot twist doesn’t fit your story, don’t be afraid to abandon it. After all, you can always come back to them later and refine them to the desired level.

Do not give up

But never give up completely. A writer is someone who writes. Someone who has an inner need to write. If you feel this need within yourself, it would be a crime not to fulfill it. You will have moments when it seems that everything is over, you have no more strength and you want to give up. But there will definitely be others - when someone reads your text and says “this is great! I really liked it!” The writer's spark is very difficult to extinguish - even if you firmly decide to give up creativity, after a while you still run the risk of finding yourself in front of a monitor, typing words. But the precious time you could have spent on becoming a better writer but instead spent regretting your failed writing career will not be made up for. Therefore, write. Not for the sake of rave reviews, not for the sake of money, but for the sake of that amazing moment when tiny elements, letters and words, add up to a fascinating story that comes to life on paper.

For an aspiring writer- 17 secrets of success:

1. Never leave your best for last. Open yourself up immediately and then see what happens. The better the beginning, the better the continuation.

2. Opening a paragraph, sentence, line, phrase, word, heading is the beginning of the most important part of your work. This sets the tone and lets the reader know that you are a commanding writer.

3. The first duty of a writer is to entertain. Readers lose interest with descriptions and abstract philosophy. They want entertainment. But they feel cheated if they learn nothing while having fun.

4. Show, don’t tell or present in a biased manner.

6. The work is much more important than anything. Readers (and publishers) care less about skill than content. The question they ask is not “How did you become a writer?” but “How well is the writing?”

7. These rules are quite contradictory. This is the nature of rules in art.

8. All entries create conflict. Give quality attention to the opposition and good lines. The power of the antagonists should be equal to the power of the main characters.

9. Switch frequently. Try different sentence structures and types. Create a good mix of narration, description, exposition, and dialogue.

10. Be careful with your words. One word, like a drop of iodine in a gallon of water, can change the color of your manuscript.

11. Provide the reader with closure. The last sentences of the story echo something that happened earlier. Life goes in circles. “If there is a gun in your first chapter, then the book ends with a gun” (En Rule)

12. By the end of the work, the conflict should reach some resolution. Not necessarily a happy ending.

13. Correct, correct. You will never get a good result on the first try.

14. Avoid excessive use of adjectives and adverbs; trust the accuracy of your nouns and verbs. Verb form: the shorter the better. Avoid passive forms, clichés and hackneyed phrases.

15. Be interested in every offer. Be concise. Hemingway’s first editor at the Kansas City Star gave him these rules: “Use short sentences. Use short paragraphs. Use decisive English. Be positive.” Hemingway later said of these tips: “These are the best rules of writing that I ever knew.”

16. If you can be misinterpreted, you will.

17. There are no rules for writing well. The one who successfully breaks the rules is a true artist. But: first, study the rules, practice, bring your skill to mastery. “You can't get over what you don't know.” - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaja.