Dear New Writers

Welcome back to The Write Side of Life for another "Dear Writers" blog post!

This one is especially for any new writers.

Today, I'd like to give you all some friendly advice and a few things to remember as you embark on your writing journey. And even if you aren't a new writer, this blog post is still for you.

Don't judge your worth by how you compare to other writers.

We all know you can learn a lot by reading others' writing. This is why you can actually get better at writing by reading.

But sometimes, we can start comparing our writing to a published novel's writing, and then we start judging our worth as a writer based off that comparison.

I want you to remember this: a finished book is probably going to look better than your current work-in-progress.

Why?

Because a finished book has been edited—many times. Usually it's gone through professional editing as well.

The author of that finished book has read and reread their work, slowly getting it as close to perfection as they could before they even began the publishing process.

You have to remember that.

You also need to remember that you're never going to know everything. Everyone, no matter how long they've been writing, always has something to learn. You have to remember this when you're comparing your writing to others' work. Instead of putting yourself down because your writing isn't as good as the writing in a published book, you can look at what's so good about the writing in that pubished book and learn from it.

Write what you enjoy writing.

Everyone likes to read different things, and sometimes, you won't want to write what some people like.

But you have to remember that writing is something fun. It's something you're doing for your own enjoyment.

If you like writing fantasy, but you have people tell you that's not good and you should write something else, don't listen. Don't write what other people want you to write, write what you enjoy writing—what makes you happy.

Don't make writing stressful.

This seems like a no-brainer, but if you make writing stressful, it will probably lose its appeal.

Writing isn't just a job, it's a hobby—something you do for your own enjoyment.

Don't put so much pressure on yourself to write or to write well that you make writing a chore. If that happens, it can actually have the opposite effect you want it to. It will make your desire to write shrink and make the quality of your writing lessen, because you'll be writing half-heartedly.

Try not to be too hard on yourself.

Perfection isn't the goal the first draft.

I'm still drilling this one into my head.

You need to remember that your first draft does not need to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be good.

Editing exists.

You can edit it later.

All you need to do with your first draft is keep writing it. Even if you're not in the writing mood, or you think your writing's bad, keep writing because you can't edit a blank page.

(If you need more advice about first drafts, you can find my blog post completely dedicated to them here.)

Don't aim for perfection with your first draft. Simply aim to keep writing it.

Eventually, you'll finish it and you'll be able to edit it, making it as close to perfection as possible.

Your writing will change as you get better.

Chances are, you will look back at your first books or early writing and cringe. That's perfectly normal. It just means you're becoming a better writer.

I'm working on the second book in a series right now. When I compare the second book with the first book (which I wrote almost a year prior), there's a noticable difference in the quality of writing.

It's completely normal to cringe while looking at your old writing.

And it's actually a great thing! It shows you've grown as a writer, and you're getting better.

You will have to learn how to take criticism.

This is something every writer faces.

With writing, you often need other people's opinions on your work to help you make it the best it can be.

You'll have to learn how to accept criticism on your work and not take it personally—instead, being willing to learn from it.

Remember, you don't know everything, and neither does anyone else. The people giving you constructive criticsm are just trying to help you. And if someone is simply criticizing you without trying to help you, let it roll off your back. Shake it off like Taylor Swift.

Try not to take criticism personally.

I know it's hard not to, but it's something that will help you in the long run.

Read.

This is the biggest piece of advice I can give any new writer.

Read.

Read any book you can get your hands on.

Reading is one of the best ways to learn how to write well. The more you read, the more you take in both good writing and bad writing, the more you'll learn what good writing sounds like and learn what things you want to avoid in your books.

I have an entire post about it that will explain this more in depth. You can find it here.

Writing isn't easy.

I think we all need to hear this every once and a while.

What we're doing isn't easy. What you're doing isn't easy. You're going to struggle with it and hate it at times, and that's completely normal.

Every writer feels that way.

But don't let the difficulties of writing turn you off from doing it. Even though writing is hard, it's completely worth it.

And we writers have been blessed with a special gift to see the world differently than others do. We've been blessed with the power to summon tears with the stroke of our pen, to draw a smile with only the 26 letters of the alphabet.

We are amazing, and even though writing is hard, it's something well worth doing.

I hope you all found at least one of these reminders helpful. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me in the contact bar below.

You are all amazing writers and I wish you the best of luck on your writing journeys. All the blood, sweat, and tears you pour into your book will be worth it someday.

As always, happy writing!

-Jocelyn