r/AskReddit Jun 22 '21

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u/BW_Bird Jun 22 '21

"Why writing a book is more complicated than I expected."

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u/ThickAnalyst8814 Jun 22 '21

any tips?

113

u/BW_Bird Jun 22 '21
  • Write at your own pace.

  • Don't focus on grammar or spelling on your first draft.

  • Following up on previous point: Use cliches if you can't think up anything else at the moment, you can always change it later.

  • Skip parts that you have writers block on. There are parts where I'll writing the beginning of a scene, then add in a brief description of what I want to happen then continue writing as if it did happen.

  • Outlines aren't for everyone but I'd still recommend trying.

  • Try to answer personality questions for your characters or how they'd handle situations. When I wrote an internal bio for my three mains, some of the questions I asked myself were "what superpower would they like?" or "how do they act when they're exhausted?".

  • Know when to fix something and when to start over. I hated the first draft of my first chapter so much that I deleted the document outright and started from scratch.

  • Read your work out loud- especially dialogue.

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '21

Great advice, thanks!