Alexandria Carroll
asked
Rebecca McLaughlin:
Hi, so I'm a highschool student and this year for my NY's resolution, I decided I wanted to write a book before I graduate. I've always been skilled with words and writing in general, but I just don't know where to begin. I have so many ideas but have trouble w/ worldbuilding. Any advice?
Rebecca McLaughlin
I did something similar when I was in high school! I committed to writing a book before I graduated. Of course, this was only after I'd already started writing one. Before then, I'd done mostly short stories and poetry. I knew I wanted to write a book *someday* but I didn't know how soon that would be until I wrote a short story that suddenly had enough behind it to write a whole book.
Once I started, it took my a couple years, and I literally finished it at 7AM the day before my graduation ceremony. I stayed up all night in a flurry finishing it, because nothing inspires like a deadline. But at the same time, I was always playing a long game. I knew that writing a book was something I could power through and do (even if the first draft was a hot atrocity). The reason I share this is because the best way I learned was to just dive in and do it, and to also share that deadlines can be both helpful and intimidating. However much time it takes to get that first book done, or even if you cycle through a couple ideas before you land on one that's 'worthy' of a longer story, don't be too hard on yourself!
On to some specific advice:
1 - You don't have to have everything perfect in the first draft. This means that you can focus on the aspects of the story that speak strongly to you, such as characters & plot, and then do a round of revisions where you bring the worldbuilding up to snuff.
2 - Try to make an outline or synopsis. If you have a lot of ideas, then the biggest risk is getting sidetracked to a different idea once you hit your first roadblock. Not all ideas will survive into books, but it can be all too easy to look at the greener grass on the other side of the fence and think something else will be easier. Both sides of the fence are going to come with their own difficulties. Everything is less-than-green on close inspection. So, if you pick an idea, do your best to see it through.
3 - When it comes to worldbuilding, it's okay if you discover it WHILE you write. You don't need it to be perfect at the outset (sensing a theme here yet?). In a first draft, feel free to make all the "rookie mistakes." Have info-dumps at the beginning of chapters as you need them, have jarring transitions between scenes, and over-indulge in descriptions when they strike you. Revisions can smooth everything out later, but the first draft has to exist in order to be improved!
Ultimately, writing a book is a lofty goal, and if it brings you joy and a challenge you enjoy that helps you grow, I wish you the best!
Once I started, it took my a couple years, and I literally finished it at 7AM the day before my graduation ceremony. I stayed up all night in a flurry finishing it, because nothing inspires like a deadline. But at the same time, I was always playing a long game. I knew that writing a book was something I could power through and do (even if the first draft was a hot atrocity). The reason I share this is because the best way I learned was to just dive in and do it, and to also share that deadlines can be both helpful and intimidating. However much time it takes to get that first book done, or even if you cycle through a couple ideas before you land on one that's 'worthy' of a longer story, don't be too hard on yourself!
On to some specific advice:
1 - You don't have to have everything perfect in the first draft. This means that you can focus on the aspects of the story that speak strongly to you, such as characters & plot, and then do a round of revisions where you bring the worldbuilding up to snuff.
2 - Try to make an outline or synopsis. If you have a lot of ideas, then the biggest risk is getting sidetracked to a different idea once you hit your first roadblock. Not all ideas will survive into books, but it can be all too easy to look at the greener grass on the other side of the fence and think something else will be easier. Both sides of the fence are going to come with their own difficulties. Everything is less-than-green on close inspection. So, if you pick an idea, do your best to see it through.
3 - When it comes to worldbuilding, it's okay if you discover it WHILE you write. You don't need it to be perfect at the outset (sensing a theme here yet?). In a first draft, feel free to make all the "rookie mistakes." Have info-dumps at the beginning of chapters as you need them, have jarring transitions between scenes, and over-indulge in descriptions when they strike you. Revisions can smooth everything out later, but the first draft has to exist in order to be improved!
Ultimately, writing a book is a lofty goal, and if it brings you joy and a challenge you enjoy that helps you grow, I wish you the best!
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