Ten Tips for Budding Authors
- Rebekah Louise
- Apr 12, 2018
- 7 min read
Ten tips on how to write a story when you’re starting out, by Rebekah Louise.
Rebekah Louise is a women’s fiction writer, she has written several short stories and over the twelve months has self-published two books, ‘Love, Life & Dreams’ and ‘The Bulletproof Proposal’. She is currently working on her first novel.
If you’d like to receive a free short story from Rebekah Louise, then keep reading.
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I remember when I was starting out, I was searching for advice on how to begin writing, the do’s and don’ts of the writing world. A year and a bit on, I wanted to pass on what I have learned to other writers who may be at the beginning of their writing journeys.
I was originally going to write my five top tips but as I thought more and more on what to share, I realised that I had ten tips that I felt were important to write about.
So here they are.
Number One: Write the story you would want to read.
As a writer I believe it’s important to write what you would like to read and to write on a subject that you enjoy. I’m not sure why someone would write a horror story, if they hate violence and run every time their shadow creeps up on them. People will sense if you are not comfortable writing a particular piece, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction.
Also, I do not advise that you write to a particular genre just because it appears to be popular at the time. Remember, trends change, and there are always people out there who will want to read your work – honestly there is.
Number Two: Begin with a short story or two.
I first set out on my writing career trying to write a psychosocial thriller. I say ‘try’ as I didn’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t aware of some of the basics and as a result, had my first piece of work torn apart with critique. I can honestly say that was a huge learning curve and has served me well, as I realised that I had to go back a step before I could move forward, so I began to write short stories.
I’m not saying that writing short stories is easy, they aren’t. However, they do allow you to practice your craft. I joined a competition site and each week they would set a theme or topic. The idea was that you had seven days to write a maximum of one thousand words to fit that theme. Your story would then be critiqued by three other people, likewise you would comment on three other stories. It gave me a chance to see my work through other peoples’ eyes. They told me things about my writing that I hadn’t noticed, and I was therefore able to strengthen my skills. I love writing short stories, I love sitting down in one (sometimes two) sittings and finishing a story, it is very satisfying.
Number Three: Stuck for ideas then just write.
So, you want to write, but what do you write? Well, some of this is answered in point number one and two. To add to the above I would advise grabbing a pen and paper or open your computer and just write. You can either do this unaided or with the aid of a story prompt, you can find these on Pinterest or on blog posts. There are also story generators that you can find online, not all of the ideas will spark your interest and that’s okay. Just keep scrolling until you find something that clicks with you.
Once you have your word or theme, just write anything that comes to mind, do not stop, do not allow yourself to think about the topic on a deeper level. Certainly, do not edit, just allow the words to flow. When you are unable to write anymore, stop and read it back to yourself, what catches your eye? Are there any story ideas forming? This worked for me recently, the topic was ‘Inappropriate clothing’. I ended up writing a short story, which once edited I will be giving away free to my lovely readers to enjoy. Perhaps that could be your first idea too.
The other option you have is to keep your eyes and ears open, listen in to people’s conversations at the bus stop or while waiting for your coffee. Watch how people interact with one another, see what you can pull from others to make an interesting story plot.
Number Four: Do your research.
This is an important aspect of storytelling and it’s probably not something you’ll do just once during the process of writing your book. Sometimes I won’t research until the end of the story as I just want to get the ideas out of my head and onto the paper. I’ll then go back and fill in the gaps with info found from my research. Other times I wouldn’t know where to start before doing a bit of digging around.
Obviously, the smaller the story the less research there will be to undertake, which could be another reason why writing short stories maybe a good place for you to begin. There have been short stories that I have written where I haven’t needed to do any research. This can particularly be the case if you are writing about an experience that you have been through or something personal to you.
Just don’t get caught out, you don’t want to mention a street name in a town and it doesn’t really exist or get the wrong country for that all-important sight-seeing that your characters are going to look at. At some point one of your readers is bound to Google a piece of information in your story and you don’t want them reviewing your book stating that you got your facts wrong.
Number Five: Read & keep reading.
Read as much as you can and as widely as you can. It can be hard to write, read and have time to do everything else you need to do in a day, but try and read a little each day. I try and read before I go to sleep each night, I enjoy this quiet time.
Read for pleasure and don’t force it, you don’t want to stop enjoying this time. I love reading chick lit and women’s fiction. I also enjoy reading psychological thrillers and some non-fiction too and I think it’s okay to read other genres and authors that perhaps I have not heard of before. It’s good to read other people’s work, not to copy them, but to get an idea of how different voices work when putting ideas to paper.
Number Six: Set goals, write a little each day and do not get overwhelmed.
If you start to feel the pressure of juggling your everyday activities and writing then set yourself small goals, that way you feel good when you meet your goal, but you are also being realistic.
If you’re writing a longer piece, it’s a good idea to write some every day. This can be a sentence or a thousand words plus. I am currently writing a novel and I have set myself the goal of writing at least five hundred words a day, I find that works for me. Some days I don’t manage it, but I may be able to write more another day.
Number Seven: Record any ideas that you have along the way.
It’s quite easy to have an idea of something you would like to include in your story, such as a mannerism you’ve noticed that you’d like to give to one of your characters, or an outfit you’ve seen someone wearing that would look good on your main character. Perhaps it’s even a story idea. I often think I’ll remember the idea and jot it down later, but more times than not I’ll forget it, or I have to scratch around in my brain until I remember it. If you have a notepad with you it’s easier to scribble the ideas down as they come to you. If a notepad isn’t your style, then I’m sure you’ve always got your phone in your pocket and you can either snap a picture or write yourself a note.
Number Eight: Surround yourself with likeminded people.
People often say that writing is a lonely career and it can be, however I have joined writing/author groups on Facebook. I have met some lovely authors who write in the same genre as me, we have helped each other by sharing each other’s blog posts, re-tweeting tweets and promoting each other’s books.
It’s a reminder that you’re not in this alone and there is a community of you who are not competing with each other, but actually working together and supporting one another.
Number Nine: Believe in yourself.
If you are writing, then you are a writer. It may sound silly but often we don’t see ourselves as achieving, we can doubt ourselves and play down what we do. However, the fact that your writing means that you are a writer and if you’ve published a piece of work, whether you chose the traditional or self-published route, you are an author, full stop.
Want to write a story, enter a writing competition or complete a series of novels, then go for it. Believe that you can achieve it, set yourself small and realistic goals and get typing.
Number Ten: Write some more.
While people are making up their minds about your last story, get on and write the next one. The more you put out there, the more interest you will attract. It will also stop you from going insane wondering what people are thinking of your last piece of work. Keep looking forward, keep learning, keep writing and good luck.
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If you would like to ask Rebekah any questions she’d love to chat with you. You can connect with her via her social media pages -
If you’d like to find out more about Rebekah and receive a free short story, then pop over to her website.
Thank you!
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