As long as you can form and write sentences, you can be a writer, age doesn't matter. Most teen writers feel they might be too young to write, but in reality, if you know how to write, you can become a writer. Most professional writers, wish they started when they were younger. Often as teens, we know of some technical aspects of writing, as well as a considerable imagination, which is both perfect for writing. However, you can always learn more about how to write! I began writing my book at exactly thirteen years old, so I have compiled my 10 best tips for being a teen writer.
Read as Much as you can
This piece of advice doesn't only apply to teen writers, but any writer. Reading is super important when beginning to write. When people read, they gain inspiration, while also learning about grammar and punctuation. Reading will help improve your writing, without you even knowing it. The more you read, the better and more natural your work will become because you will have grasped the basic idea of how to write a story and how to punctuate it. When reading makes sure to pay attention to sentence structure, dialogue, new words, and imagery.
Outline Before you Write
When writing is helpful to outline your novel, before starting, this will allow you to know where you want your story to end. Outlining before you write helps limit confusion and procrastination in the middle of your work in progress and can help get your story finished.
Write Every Day
Writing only improves with practice! When writing sporadically, it becomes hard to finish work or improve, whereas allotting time each day to write will help you refine your writing. Writing each day is extremely valuable if you want to stay motivated and finish a project. However, as teens, we don't often have much free time due to sports, school, and homework, so you may have to become creative when finding time to write.
*Some tips are: join the newspaper club at your school, bring a journal everywhere you go, and even write notes on the "notes" app on your phone.
Don't Rush to Publish
This is especially important! Teen writers don't have to rush or worry about publishing, but there is time. Although it may be exciting to envision your book being read, you don't need to rush into publishing. Instead, wait until you have improved your writing and bit more and are completely satisfied with the final product. Until you get to the publishing stage, focus on writing a solid story.
Participate in NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo occurs in November and stands for the National Novel Writing Month. The challenge begins on November 1st and the goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. This rounds to about 1,700 words per day. Although, NaNoWriMo is a difficult endeavor it is worth it in the long run. Participating in this challenge helps you write down your entire novel, without stopping to edit and worry. This is also a great way to meet other teen writers and form a support system.
Find a Community of Writers
Writing may be a solitary activity, but it doesn't need to be lonesome, instead join a group of writers. Finding a group of writers can help spark inspiration and make writing more enjoyable. There is a large community of teen writers across several platforms, including here at Blue Pencil, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Don't Worry About Perfection
Every writer is different, and most writers have been writing for a long time. As a teen writer, it is important to not fret over perfection or compare yourself to published authors. No author is perfect, and with time your writing will improve. When writing as a teen, it is important to not other people's writing dampen your mood and let yourself become unmotivated.
Don't Edit While Writing
Similar to the tip above, stopping to edit your work when writing, only disrupts the flow and style. Instead, it is beneficial to wait to edit until you have completed the section, whether it is a chapter or paragraph or the entire novel. Pausing to edit midway through your writing, will hamper your process, so remember to write now, and edit later.
Write About What You're Passionate About.
Writing about what you are passionate about is a great way to keep yourself writing and engaged. In most cases, if you are writing about what you care about, passion and emotion will shine through and your novel will be compelling to readers. If you care about what you are writing, it will show and ultimately get your readers excited about what you have written.
Have fun!
Although this may be cliche, for teen writers one of the most important things is to have fun! Instead of having to write for your career, teen writers are luckily enough to write about whatever brings inspiration and motivation. So rather than worrying about the quality of your novel, remember why you started and the importance of having fun!
Although it may be difficult to find time to write as a teenager and you may be discouraged by adults, writing is an excellent skill to build and has large benefits. I hope these tips effectively help you become a better writer.
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