I'm 16 and discovered a few months ago I have talent for being a writer. Over the last few months I've gotten really into it and have been designing a journey/adventure/comedy/fantasy novel. Being a new writer I was wondering if there are any more experienced writers out there willing to list some useful tools and advice. Tools such as websites to generators, guides etc. Anything useful you can think of. I really appreciate any help you can give. Thanks .
I'm fairly new to writing myself, but I am really rather enjoying the exploration of my creativity. I think alot of the importance in what you write comes from your portrayal of the details. If you are setting your story in a real place then, if you can, go and visit it. Whatever your characters are going to get up to, places they visit, things they do, things they see, you should try and experience them in this world the best you can before trying to commit it to paper. Another tip is to learn to use grammar and punctuation as best as you can. I know I'm not perfect with it, but I don't think it is educated properly these days. My final tip is that your question is not a new one. There is a plethora of people who have asked it before and the reponses are a simple google search away. Try searching for tips on character and scene building, and you'll find loads of stuff out there.
Write. Write a lot. Take extra English classes or creative writing classes, they will help more than anything any of us can say to you. Don't limit yourself in what you write. Explore writing different genres, using different styles, and read. Just have fun with it.
The best advice I could give any new writer is to never, under any circumstances, follow the rationalizations of other writers. You are an individual, as we all obviously are. Write what you want, what you find interesting. Please, please, please, please don't give in. Don't become just another writer. Be something more, something better. Grow, create worlds beyond our imagination. I beg you, stop the march of the ordinary. Don't limit yourself, make the rest of us look like fools.
Read. Write. While you're at it a lot of my inspiration and knowledge in the craft came from one source: Holly Lisle. She has a lot of free information on her site about finishing a book from "Once upon a time" to "The end." She's a realist, and has a major no bull approach. She's not there to hold your hand or tell you that writing is full of wonderful joys and you can sit around and everyone will tell you that your writing is perfect. I feel she's a critic by nature, and this is a good thing. On that note, the best tool for a writer is criticism. Learn to build from it. If your spelling, grammar, and etc. is bad and someone tells you why it's bad you're wasting your time to be offended. Accept it humbly and work on that area. If you feel a certain piece of criticism you receive is unjustified, and they provide no reasoning behind it, then it probably is. Always better safe than sorry to ask them to provide reasoning behind their criticism, though. Stamp the following quote on your mind if you expect yourself to grow as a writer. You will become disappointed many times otherwise. "Critics are our friends, they are there to show us our faults." Good luck. Caleb
Perfect advice. I seriously hate new novels that get published that are just like other writers' works. I LOVE individuality so naturally, so will a lot of other people. Have fun with it and be yourself!
