One of the questions I’m often asked in interviewers, or by friends, or by strangers is, “What are your recommendations for beginning writers?” Chances are, even if you yourself have no interest in writing, you know at least one person who does have that interest.
Thus, I thought I’d summarize my suggestions here!
1. Educate yourself on the craft of writing. When I first decided to try my hand at writing a novel, I hoped that my lifetime as a reader qualified me to be a writer. I’d been reading for ages! 
Countless books! But, nope. What I came to realize is that the craft of writing can’t be learned by osmosis. It has to be learned the old fashioned way through books on the topic, seminars, articles, conferences, study. There are numerous non-fiction books on the craft of novel writing available at your local library and your local bookstore. I recommend: The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (by the time I read this one, I’d made almost all the mistakes listed) by Jack Bickham, Scene & Structure by Jack Bickham, Goal, Movtivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon. Start with those, then continue to expand your education. For better or for worse, the longer you write fiction and the more you learn about it, the more you understand how incredibly complex it is and how much more you have to learn.
2. Begin writing. Frequently over the years, I’ve had conversations with people who discovered that I’m a writer and responded with, “I want to write a book!” Sometimes they go on to tell me their story idea, which is often based in some way on their life. I always encourage them warmly and I always suggest that they 
sit down and begin writing. These talks are bittersweet for me, because I know from experience that very, very few of the people who would like to write will ever take the step of actually writing. Of the few that do write something, far fewer will complete an entire novel-length manuscript.
Believe me, I understand! Beginning is daunting. Beginning requires the funneling of hope into action. Action is harder than mere hoping. But no one will ever publish a novel or improve their skills or make someone laugh or cry or marvel over their work without first putting in hours and hours and hours writing. You wouldn’t imagine that a cellist could play a piece of music beautifully without first putting in a tremendous amount of practice, right? It’s the same with writing. Every writer is going to need a great deal of practice before their product will be decent. We practice through writing.
Don’t worry about publishing your work at this stage. I wrote three full manuscripts that I never sold or self-published but they’re worth more than gold to me because of all that I learned through the writing of them. For me, there was no shortcut to the knowledge I gained thanks to those manuscripts. They formed stepping stones that provided a way forward.
3. Join a writer’s organization. Do you write romance? There’s Romance Writers of America. Do you write children’s books? Try SCBWI. Do you write mysteries? Check our Mystery Writers of America. Do you write Christian fiction? Then ACFW is for you.
Does that give you a sense of how many author’s groups 
are out there? Even if there’s not a local chapter that meets near where you live, you can join a group and connect via the Internet with like-minded writers. These wonderful groups often offer invaluable resources like conferences, webinars, critique partners, newsletters, contests. You’ll need trustworthy feedback on your work at some stage. You might think that your mom or your best friend or your sister are qualified to give you helpful feedback on your book. They’re not. But some of the people in your writer’s organization will be or they’ll know where to steer you for good feedback. On top of all that, your writer’s group will provide the thing you’ll come to cherish the most as you pursue your writing dream — writing friends.
Writing is very solitary so it’s a joy to connect with people who share your passion. Writers at your stage in the journey will come beside you and empathize, cheer, listen, brainstorm. You’ll do the same for them. Writers who are further along than you are will teach, answer your questions, give you advice.
4. Submit your work. This step should only be undertaken once you’ve completed at least one novel and once you’ve accomplished #1, 2, and 3. If you’re interested in traditionally publishing your novel, so 
that it will be available on bookstore shelves, then you’ll need to educate yourself about the world of publishers, editors, agents, and submission guidelines. There’s a learning curve to scale there and in my honest opinion, writer’s organizations will offer you the best source of up to date information regarding how and where to sell your novel. Additionally, Writer’s Digest releases a book every year called Writer’s Market.
Back when I started writing, the traditional route was the only route open to writers who wanted to make their work available to readers. Not so, these days. Writers who’ve completed a novel and received trustworthy feedback along the lines of, “This is excellent. This is polished. This is ready for publication,” might be ready to self-publish their book if that’s the approach they prefer. There’s a learning curve to scale there, too. Once again, non-fiction books and writer’s organizations will be able to provide reliable information on the topic.
Are you an aspiring #writer in need of advice and direction? @beckywadewriter suggests 4 Steps For Beginning Writers — Tweet That!
Do you have any questions about writing? Let’s hear them! Authors, do you have any tips to add?
Becky Wade
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Excellent advice, Becky. I’ll use your blog the next time I meet someone who wants to write.
Thanks, Lynn! That was one of my hopes for this post… that I’d have somewhere to send folks when they inquire about writing. 🙂
Great advice, Becky! I completely agree with your statement: “What I came to realize is that the craft of writing can’t be learned by osmosis.” Avid readers may find that the rhythm and structure of story-telling is in their conscience, but a good writing how-to book puts it all into manageable perspective so that the process is a little less daunting.
Agreed! When I was a reader I was so pulled into the story world of the books I read that I didn’t have a firm grip on what the author was DOING to create such an effective story world. I thought I knew. But actually, I hadn’t a clue. 🙂
Becky, I love this article. Even for writers who have been at it a while, these are great tips to freshen up on. Thanks for the recommendation of writing books. I’m always looking for good ones to further my writing education. Do you know of any on dialogue or plotting that you would recommend? I haven’t read anything on those in quite some time, so I’m thinking about doing a sort of refresher course by reading some books on it and then practicing what I learn. Thank you!
Blessings,
Andrea
Hi, Andrea! Scene & Structure and Goal, Motivation & Conflict will both address plotting. I’ve heard that James Scott Bell’s books on writing are terrific. He has one called Write Your Novel from the Middle (for plotting) and one called How to Write Dazzling Dialogue among several others.
I agree that it’s good for any of us at any stage to do some ‘freshen up’ type reading. We’ll grasp the information differently and be able to apply it in different ways at various stages of our writing journey.
Thanks, Becky! That’s what I’m hoping, to grasp it differently this time in light of what I’ve already learned. I appreciate your recommendations and have jotted them all down for reference when I’m next at the bookstore or shopping online. Happy writing, my friend!