Writing is easy and hard at the same time. If you've written a book, you know how true that is. But if you haven't gotten there yet, let me give you a few tips to help you out.
Every writer is different. So what works for one may or may not work for you. If someone tells you, you must do something over another, don't listen. Choose what works for you. But, it's okay to try different things. It's how you learn what works and what doesn't.
Give yourself permission to write crap, for the first draft. It is better to have words on a page than an empty page. You can't edit what isn't there. Most authors will tell you that. Editing is where the magic is. Before you send the story off to an editor, be sure to edit your story first. Get it as perfect as you can. Then you can send it off to editors, beta readers, etc.
If another writer is writing faster than you are, remember this...Every writer/author works in his/her own speed. No one ever started running the moment we were born. Writing is the same way. We all reach that level at different speeds. Every word you write is one word closer to the end. Focus on that and stay true to who you are and write at your own speed.
Begin writing your story at any part you want. If you want to write the ending and work backward, write the ending and work backward. If you want to write sections at a time and piece them together, then do that. If you want to write the beginning and tell the story from that point, do that. And each story can be different. Write one backward, then another story from the beginning, etc. It's all up to you and how YOU want to write.
If a story isn't going as planned and you become stuck, it's okay to take a break or work on something else. You are your own boss. Take a break. Begin a new story. Take a week off and don't write anything. It's up to you. While breaks are important, you can decide when to take one. You can set a deadline if you want to also. All up to you.
Plan/outline the book or write as you go (panster). The choice is yours. Want to do both? Again, the choice is yours. Allow your characters to take the lead--your choice. Write in first, second, or third--your choice. See where I'm going? There are no rules that say you have to write one way or the other. Be yourself and choose your voice.
A writing sprint is where you set a timer and write as fast as you can until time runs out. You can also do writing sprint partners where you and your partner is writing your own story under the same timer. Can be done online or physically in the same location. But you don't have to do either. Your choice.
NaNoWriMo is your choice. It is in November. National Novel Writing Month is a time for writing a novel in 30 days. The set amount of words is 50K for the event. Check out the website before making a decision. The site is open all year so you can also choose to use the site for all of your books all the time. Your choice. It is a good site to keep an eye on your progress. You can write at your rate with this site. You can set the word count to be higher or lower if you want to as well.
If you write a scene that doesn't work for the story, you can save it to use later for a different story. You never know when it will work better. So, don't delete it. Instead save the scene under (title of scene) and hold onto it. Of course, if you're not using it in that particular story, delete it from the story but save it in a new file first. It is better to hold onto unused scenes for that purpose. That isn't a rule, so you're welcome to delete it if you choose so.
Other than the written word rules, there are no rules to writing. Grammar is important so follow those rules. But there are exceptions to those rules.
If someone is yelling as part of their speech, you can use all caps. But if they are yelling the entire story, you can do that the first few times and then write it normal giving their tag so readers know. If they don't speak that often, you can use all caps each time they talk.
Give each character his/her own voice. If one person talks one way and another speaks differently, show it. And you can use one word sentences to show someone speaking slowly. He.Spoke.Loudly... Word may try to say this is incorrect, but you can ignore that rule for instances where you need to use it.
Don't over-use it, just as with everything else.
Slang is also a good way to give someone different speech. According to grammar laws, slang may appear wrong. If your character is speaking a different language that you made up, spelling may be wrong (this is when you want to save the word under Word's dictionary) as you're writing. If you're using a different piece (instead of Microsoft Word), the rules may be different or applied differently. Word is the most common form of software.
That is all I have for now. I'll share more tips later down the road. Keep an eye out for more writing tips as well as tips on marketing, editing, and cover design.
Thank you!
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