We all started somewhere, right? 😉 We were all beginners at some point in our lives (unless you’re one of those people who seem to just be born knowing everything. Congratulations, human. You’re a rare and envied breed).
I remember when I started my journey to writer hood. I went haywire researching, looking up authors, stalking their blogs, taking each and every bit of information they said to heart. I had notebooks and random pages covered in multicolored notes and reminders and she said this and he said don’t forget that.
Eager. I was very eager. 🙈
That being said, I learned a lot. I also did a few things wrong, questioned the rest, and had misconceptions about several seemingly concrete rules (turns out those were not, in fact, set-in-stone. Oops!).
If you’ve just started out writing, then you’ve come to the right place! Here are some of the mistakes I made, and how not to do like I did. 😁
#1—TAKING ADVICE AS LAW
Here’s the thing.
“Professional” authors (whatever that means) might have been around the block a few times when it comes to this writing thing. They might know exactly what to do for writer’s block, or the proper way to construct a plot. And that’s great! Good for them for having a solid process.
But guess what?
That doesn’t have to be your process.
Let’s take a cue from me, shall we? When I first started out, I followed several authors in the publishing industry—kept up on their new releases, read all their blog posts, and lived for any new info that they would share.
My stalker career started young. 🤭😉
But I made a mistake that I wished I hadn’t. (Well, I’m glad now that I know I made it, so I can share about it with you. 😊) There was this author—we’ll call them GENIUS for the sake of reference—and I used to frequent their blog on a regular basis. GENIUS had a section of their blog solely for writers (how cool, right?) and said section held a lot of good information.
Well, I mistook “good advice” for “writer rules to live by.”
See, GENIUS is an intense plotter. They have huge long character sheets that you can print out to get to know your character better. So that’s what I did—printed that sheet out. Several, in fact. I printed several copies of it, ‘cause this was brilliant, right?
. . .
Can you hear the crickets?
This is not me saying character worksheets are bad (they aren’t!). This is me telling you I learned the hard way that intensely detailed, fifty-question character profiles are simply not my jam.
My brain does not work that way for getting to know a character. Come to find out, I flesh them out better by writing out conversations with them, getting to know their backstory, and relating to them on a mental level, not through some emotionally-distant graph or spreadsheet.
The moral of this story? A successful author’s ways might be helpful, but they aren’t the end all be all. Far from it. Can they help jumpstart you? Absolutely! Just don’t think that because they’re successful and published and award-winning that their method will fit your madness.
Try different things out! See what works for you. Tweak and alter and change and scrap and re-do. Then tweak and scrap some more (I know I did). And if you come up with some insane method that you’ve never heard of anybody using, then tell me your secrets. 👀 I need to know!
So. Lesson #1: All ways are not the GENIUS’ ways.
#2—WHAT WAS HIS NAME AGAIN?
Mistake #2 is not knowing your character enough.
Wait, Mac, aren’t you just contradicting what you just said? *Moves in to whack me on my marble-less head*
Well, yes and no. *Bats the incoming head whack away* Come on, hear me out.
What can no story be without? I mean, really not go without?
An antagonist.
Yeah, I heard that collective “Duh.”
The character is (usually) what the story is about. And a good character will pull us in, make us emotionally invested in them, steal our sleep away on those late nights turning pages at a frantic rate, and generally be the making or breaking point when it comes to whether or not we’ll read the rest of the series (or re-read, if it’s a standalone. I love doing that).
The Main Character (MC) is one of the first things I work on when I get a new idea. Note I said “one” there. Some people start on the plot, others on the characters. I find I’m sandwiched right in the middle. I can’t figure out the plot if I don’t know my character, and you can forget about fleshing out the character if I don’t know what’s happenin’ with the plot. (That’s because these two aspects go hand in hand, but that’s a topic for another day. 😉)
If you’re expecting me to tell you what to do when it comes to developing your character, well, I hate to disappoint you. Only you can really figure that one out (sorry). But I can tell you what I do, what I don’t do, and generally things you really should know before taking a crack at Chapter One.
Let’s say I have this character. We’ll call him Bob. I’ll open my notebook, flip to an empty page, and do something like this:
Bob Oliver Willcox
Age: 12
Hair: blond
Eye: green
Height: 4'6"
Nicknames: Bowtie, Bobby, Bug Boy
Random relevant facts:
Entomologist
Wears chunky glasses
Always carrying a notepad and pencil tucked behind his ear
Hates his name
Dreams of playing pro baseball
Collects baseball cards
Well now. Just from that, we can get a pretty clear picture of this boy, can’t we? (Like this post if you thought “Bob” was going to be a thirty-something working a nine-to-five in a cubical or something. See what I did there?? 🤭)
I make this my reference page. If I’m writing a scene where he’s watching the highschoolers practice baseball after school and am describing how wide his . . . his . . . ah, dang it. What color eyes did he have? *Flips to character page* Ah, yes. Green. Bobby’s green eyes widened as he took in every throw, every catch, every word he could overhear from the coach.
And there you go.
But this doesn’t stop here. What got Bobby into baseball? Why Entomology? Why does he hate his name? Does he have a rare disease that prevents him from ever playing sports? Does he hate his name because it’s not a very, uh, “baseball” name?
What lie is believing? What made him believe this lie? What does he want most in this world? What’s keeping him from attaining that dream? What is he most afraid of? Why is he afraid of that?
These questions go so much deeper than what’s his favorite color, his favorite ice cream flavor, and where does he spend the most of his time? (Of course, you could figure those out before writing the book. He could love the color green cause it reminds him of the perfect grass in the baseball stadiums. His favorite flavor of ice cream could be his dad’s, because when he grows up he wants to be just like him. He obviously likes to spend time at the baseball fields, and no doubt you can figure out why.)
Finding those out before you write could work for you. Personally, I like to let the little details and habits form as I write the story, as it tends to be so much more relevant and meaningful then just picking a handful of traits and fitting them into the story.
The point is, know your character. Know what makes them tick, their Greatest Fear, the Lie they believe, and their Greatest Desire. Start there. Then figure out as much or as little as your heart so desires, because these things are going to be the driving force behind every decision your character makes, every thought they think, every word they speak.
So, what’s lesson #2? Know thine character.
#3—NERD STATUS TEMPORARILY REVOKED
I think this one is pretty self-explanatory, or at least, I wish it was, but the third mistake is doing too much research.
I’m a researcher at heart. I love to learn and research and explore the nitty-gritty behind any new topic that catches my eye. In fact, if I gave in to that desire, I’d be a first-class nerd. 🤓 (If you’re a nerd, high five! You’re awesome.)
BUT, and yes, there’s a big fat “BUT” tacked on to that, there is such a thing as too much research. I know, I know, I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s a sad truth, and there it is.
This is not me telling you to throw researching your craft out the window. *Slams the window shut* This is me saying that . . . well, maybe, if you’re writing your first book, don’t research it as much.
I know, I sound mad (and I ain’t denying it😏) and when I first heard this piece of advice back when I started writing, my first reaction was “Well, what do they know?!”
Um . . . a lot more than you’d think.
Mainly in the context of overthinking. 👀
I can see where they were coming from. Early on in the writing stages, as I was scribbling out my first story ever (which shall not see the light of day until after vigorous re-writes and edits), my head had absorbed all these rules. Don’t use “said,” ly adverbs are a no-no, balance thought with action and description, don’t over-explain, don’t under-explain, more action, less action, watch the head hopping, look out for repeated words—is your head spinning yet?
I can barely focus on three of those when I’m writing to this day! That’s what edits and revisions are for, thank goodness. But I’ve also been writing for several years. If I get jumbled up with everything I’m supposed to keep straight, then I know I’m not the only one.
That’s why I encourage you not to over-research the ins and outs of writing requirements when you’re first starting out. Get that story out of you first—that’s the most important thing. Only a single digit percentage of writers actually finish a complete first draft. Get that done before sweating over the technical stuff.
You’ll thank me later.
Say it with me now. Lesson #3 Rein in your inner nerd and stop overthinking.
Are you just starting out writing? Have you been overwhelmed with every bit of advice there is out there? You’re not alone! We’re all in this boat together. *Hands you a paddle and a life vest* You’re gonna need them. 🤭
If you ever have any questions or comments, whether about writing or books or my opinion on traffic cones (they’re way too orange), feel free to contact me! The comments are right there below (see it? It says “Comment.” Right there, see?) and my contact form is at the bottom of my home page. I’d love to hear from you and help you out in this writerly journey!
So, what do you think? Did you learn something new today? Should I turn this into a blog series?
And you experienced authors out there (yes, you). Did I miss one? Let me know!
Catch ya on the flip side!
_Mac 🤎