I’m looking to start writing a novel or short story not quite sure which yet about what I’ve learned going through life and what the different thing you do can effect your relationship with others, I’m just not quite sure where to being I’m hoping someone out there can give me some solid advice, I’m a young writer when a lot to talk about and I really want to give this a good go and finally have something to be proud of, please give me any advice which would be beneficial to me
I think you have to decide, first of all, what your goal is in writing it. At 20, you've probably experienced/learned only a fraction of what you will over the course of a lifetime. And some things you THINK you've learned, you will probably at some point learn quite differently. So, if your goal is to write this as a marker of where you are now, to be reread in the future as a measurement of how far you've come, that's fine. In that case, a good starting point would be just before the first event in your life that you feel altered your life's trajectory (for example, if I were undertaking such a project, I would start with a trip to Ireland I took with my parents when I was 10, beginning with who I was and how I felt before the trip, and then, how the trip changed me). If your goal is to present a kind of roadmap to those younger than you--say, teenagers--I suggest starting at around age 11 or 12. But my advice would be to approach it from the former rather than the latter. I suspect you will get more out of it that way. Best of luck.
1. Read - a lot. 2. Read - very much. 3. You should spend time reading. You should know your genre. 100 books inside that genre is a good start. It is only a start but it is a start. If you are interested about several genres, you can start with the same 100/genre. And it's still just a start. You should also read outside your main genres. Read everything. Read post doc level scientific monographs. Read kid stuff. Read erotic, suspense, crime, history, war, politics, love, families, countries, cultures... Read about people telling they professions. Read about places. Read memoirs and autobiographies and biographies. Read about everything. Read classics. Read comics. Read best sellers. Read neverheards. Read old books. Read good books. Read bad books. Read in trains, cafes, busses, bed, toilet... Read while you walk. Don't read when you drive. You can listen to audiobooks while driving but don't read. Choose your coats so that they have book size pockets. Keep a pen with you when you read. The way to good writing goes through reading. P.S. And... Remember to read.
Write a short story, not a novel. You're about 100 times more likely to finish it, and you'll want to check a victory in your column with certainty.
Good thread and good advice so far. Start. Just start. We all find our way somehow, and probably make at least a few mistakes along the way. Embrace your inspiration, your passion. Find people who will encourage you, and if not 'people', then yourself. Believe in yourself. Take the constructive criticism for what it is (insightful, encouraging, helpful, et cetera), but leave the lashing out (some people are just freakin' angry) and the thousand-word essays (some people like to display their perceived knowledge and education to any question) for what they are -- mostly BS. Best wishes!