Want to Become a Writer? 4 Beginner Writer Tips to Help You Start Your Book.
You want to write a book, but you don’t know where to start. Sound familiar? Learning how to become a writer can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right beginner writing advice and practical tips, you can finally turn that idea in your head into a finished book.
If you have never written anything, it’s time to start. I know you feel overwhelmed. You think that you can never be as good as your favorite author. Remember, your favorite author was just like you at one point in their career. They were nervous and unsure where to begin. They also asked themselves, “how do I become a writer?”
How to be a writer
You may have woken up this morning and decided to be a writer, or you may have been thinking about it for years.
In my case, I wanted to write books for decades before I finished one. I have a drawer full of character descriptions and plot outlines for cozy mystery books I never wrote – but will write over the next few years.
While I didn’t publish a book until three years ago, I was swamped writing other things. I had a day job running corporate marketing departments at large corporations and small startups. As part of that responsibility, I was also the senior content creator, writing website content, blog posts, white papers, e-guides, press releases, product brochures, magazine articles, and much more. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started writing nonfiction and finally published my book for corporate marketers and small business owners, Trade Show 411: The Essential Guide to Exhibiting Like a Pro.
I tell you this because whether you write as part of your job or dream about writing the next great novel, there are two truths you need to know.
1. Reading: The foundation that helps you become a better writer.
Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, said, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” That sentiment perfectly captures my own experience.
To learn how to write well, you need to read things that are well written. Long before I became a writer, I was a reader. First, I read the Hardy Boys and every Agatha Christie book I could get my hands on and then business, marketing, sales, and historical nonfiction books.
Reading good writing enables you to see the writing process laid out in front of you. It helped me take my newfound knowledge of sentence structure, word placement, and the development of a story’s beginning, middle, and end and use it to write thousands of pieces of content over my 30-year corporate career.
So, what should you read? Just like you need to eat a variety of foods to be healthy, you should read a variety of content to be well-rounded. A science fiction novel uses words and story pacing very differently than an autobiography.
Having said that, you need to become intimately familiar with the writing style of the genre in which you want to write. Pay attention to how the books are structured, the tone they use, and the way they introduce characters. Reading is an essential step for anyone looking to become a writer.
What is a genre? It’s a specific form or type of communication. Examples of music genres are pop, rock, hip hop, country, jazz, and classical. Examples of book genres include fiction genres like fantasy, mystery, poetry, and science fiction and nonfiction genres like biographies, business, travel, self-help, and philosophy.
To be a successful writer in a specific genre, you must meet certain expectations of that genre’s readers. For example, cozy mystery readers expect you to:
set your murder in a small town or an intimate setting like a hotel
don’t use any blood or gore
have an amateur sleuth solve the crime
Now that you understand the importance of genres, let’s explore what kind of writer you are and how to lean into your natural strengths.
2. Beginner writing advice: Discover your unique writing voice.
Have you secretly told yourself that you will be the next George R. R. Martin or Mary Higgins Clark? While your dream of becoming a famous author is terrific, don’t try to model yourself after your favorite writer if it’s not who you really are.
You may love to be swept away by the stories of Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, or J. K. Rowling, but you are not them. You have your own style, tone, and way of stringing words together that make you unique. That's what's great about you.
You can study their books to learn about character development and pacing but take that information and adapt it to create the type of book you are passionate about writing.
Also, consider whether you have the drive to write a 75,000-word novel or are short stories more your thing? It may seem strange, but it can be quite challenging for even successful authors who write three-hundred-page novels to write an eight-thousand-word short story.
I know for myself, while I may enjoy Anton Chekhov’s short stories, I find it extremely difficult to limit my writing to the length of a short story – about 5,000 to 10,000 words. I use many more words, and, as a result, I am more comfortable writing sixty-, seventy-, or eighty-thousand-word books.
How to write a book
“Ok, since I write articles for my company’s employee newsletter, I’m a writer,” I hear you saying. “What I really want to do is be a published author. How do I do that?”
The internet is full of articles that include must-do requirements on how to write a book.
You must have a comfortable chair.
You must use a computer.
You must use a pencil and write longhand.
You must write first thing in the morning before anyone else gets up.
You must write at night after everyone else has gone to bed.
You must buy a course to learn the secrets to writing a book.
You must be in a quiet room.
You must have background noise.
I could go on and on.
While I will eventually write a post on the traditional steps you would expect to see in a how to write a book list; it’s not included here.
“Writing a book is empowering and exciting, but it can also be dreary and lonely.”
As I think about my own journey to book publishing, two, more significant, thoughts come to mind. I always mention them to anyone who asks me about my recommendations on how to write a book.
These are two critical components that I have learned and you must embrace before you can embark on a successful writing journey. Writing a book is empowering and exciting, but it can also be dreary and lonely. You need to start on your journey of writing a book with your eyes wide open.
3. Writing a book tip: Choose a topic you’re passionate about.
When an interviewer asks an author to suggest what someone should write about, the answers commonly fall into two categories.
Some authors say you must write what you know. For example, if your family and friends feel you are an excellent cook, you should write a cookbook. If you are the number one salesperson in your company for the fifth consecutive year, you should write a book about how to be an exceptional salesperson.
Other authors say you should write a book on a popular topic to sell lots of copies. If that's the case, you should write a book on the COVID-19 pandemic because it's THE topic of conversation right now.
I have a different response when someone asks what they should write about.
My advice is to write about something you are passionate about – whether you know the subject intimately or not.
You may not know much about the professional hockey industry, but your passion for hockey will push you to do all the research required to write a book.
It is critical to realize that whichever subject you choose, whether you are already an expert or not, you will eat, breathe, and live with this subject for a long time – sometimes years.
You will do research online, conduct interviews, or read other books.
You will spend many hours writing the actual manuscript.
You will edit your book.
You will talk to other writers, fans, and the media about your book.
You will market and sell your book after it is published.
Your subject will be with you for years—before, during, and after your book is published.
The lesson is: You can learn any subject well enough to write a blog post. But you can’t live with a subject for years - writing, publishing, and promoting a book - if you don’t love it.
4. How to develop a writing habit and stay motivated.
Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. Developing a consistent writing habit is key to overcoming self-doubt and finishing your manuscript. If you’re wondering how to develop a writing habit, start by setting realistic goals—like writing 500 words a day or dedicating 30 minutes every morning to your project..
Be determined and stick with it no matter what obstacles come your way.
At some points along my writing journey, I feel great. I’m raring to go. Other times I don't want to write another word. I hate the subject and want to hit the delete button on the whole project.
My writing journey feels like a roller coaster—soaring high on good days, creeping slowly up daunting hills, and plunging into moments of doubt.
Some days I sit down at my keyboard, and everything flows freely. I am relaxed, awake, full of energy, and the words come to my mind quicker than my fingers can type them out. Three thousand words appear in front of me before I realize what happened. I am completely involved in writing a book, and nothing – not the telephone, not construction noises outside my window, not my grumbling stomach – is going to shift my focus from the mission at hand.
Some days I write five hundred words, and then I get distracted.
The room is too hot.
My feet are cold.
I need inspirational background music.
A cup of coffee would wake me up.
There's a new YouTube video I want to watch.
I find any reason I can to step away from my writing for an hour or two. After a while, I return to write another five hundred words. The writing process isn't as quick as on other days, but I'm making progress.
There are some days when I get to my desk I write one paragraph and decide I can't do this. I question why I have chosen this writing life. How can I think I am a writer? Am I any good? Will anyone read what I write? What if they read it and hate it? A completed 75,000-word manuscript is due in two months, but I just don't have it today – I don't have the inspiration, the passion, the energy, or the desire. So, I get up and walk away for the rest of the day.
I go shopping.
I visit friends and family.
I pull weeds in my garden.
Anything to get my mind off that book.
So, as you can see, my writing is just like a roller coaster. On days when I don't want to write at all, I'm at the bottom of the roller coaster and just want to get off.
On days when I write sporadically, I'm in the middle of the hill, hearing the coaster’s gears click, click, click as I make slow but steady progress upward.
On days when I'm revved up and my fingers are flying free, I've made it over the top of the roller coaster's steepest hill, and I am pushing forward with excitement and anticipation.
Whether you are writing a book, a short story, song lyrics, or another piece of content, this same process will happen to you. No writer has passion for their writing all the time. Sometimes you need to take it slow to refresh and recharge. And that’s ok.
The final word
You probably won’t find this advice on most how to be a writer lists, but, as a writer myself, it’s my advice to you.
Last year, ThriftBooks commissioned a survey of Americans in conjunction with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Their findings were interesting.
More than half of Americans think they've got a good idea for a novel. Fifteen percent have started writing. That means that among the 332 million people in the United States, 167 million think they have a good idea for a novel and 25 million people have actually started writing. Of that number, about six percent say they are at least halfway through their manuscript and eight percent have finished their book.
While those statistics are actually better than I would have guessed, it still leaves a lot of people, possibly yourself, who have an unfinished dream of writing and publishing a book.
Writing a book can feel daunting, but every great writer started where you are now. Remember, learning how to become a writer takes time and persistence. Focus on these beginner writing tips, and you’ll build the skills—and confidence—you need to finish your book. The first step? Start today.
Writer resources
Alliance for Independent Authors - A nonprofit professional association for authors who self-publish.
Amazon Create a Book - KDP book setup to easily upload, enter, and modify your book before publishing.
Bowker ISBN Services - Ensures your book's data will be stored in the Books in Print database for publishers, retailers and libraries around the world.
Draft2Digital - Gives you a fast, easy way to self-publish.
Grammarly - English writing assistance technology.
IngramSpark - Publish print books and ebooks.
Nonfiction Author’s Association - Provides education, resources, and a supportive community for authors of nonfiction books.
Reedsy - Gives authors and publishers access to professionals, tools, and educational content to help write, publish, and market books.
