5 tips to start your first novel (from a teenage author of two books)

So you have a really cool idea about a world you just created, even if it happens in our already existing modern day world, where cool things happen and people do certain things, and you don't know what to do with it. You could either sit and let the idea haunt you from eons to come. Or you could write a book!

I'm gonna give you five tips that I wish I'd known sooner so you can start writing your first novel too!

Tip number 1:

Write them down.

According to a paragraph I read somewhere, the brain has over a million thoughts running through it every minute. Or was it day? Regardless, think about it. A million thoughts! A million thoughts could be about anything, a new book, the dishes piled in the sink, your outfit...delusional scenarios about your crush! With those train of thoughts running through your mind all day, it would be easy fro your awesome book ideas to get washed away by more ideas and that can get overwhelming. Especially when you vcan't remember what you were going to put in that crucial scene. You have to write every idea you have, no matter how out-of-context it is!

Tip number 2(Optional):

Outline your work.

I know this sounds a bit overwhelming, but trust me, it isn't! There are two types of writers, outliners, and pantsers. The outliners are basically those who outline their story and write down how it's going to go before they actually start writing. The pantsers (me btw :P), basically just write without outlines and discover things as they go. It's a thing of choice, honestly, and you can choose what's best for you. I mean, I started outlining just recently. Although that's majorly for my upcoming webtoon! I'll drop more details soon. If you want, I can teach how to outline in the next post. Just drop a comment!

Tip number 3: Make Pinterest your best friend.

I don't know how many times you may have heard this, but of you're starting a book, no matter the genre, no matter the sub-plots, Pinterest is your main plug. For those who don't know, Pinterest is a platform where you can find and post videos, photos and links relating to a vast number of topics. Meaning you can find visuals relating to your book that can help a lot for visual reminders whenever you need to dive into your book's world again.

Tip number 4: Make a lot of friends in the writing community.

I know it seems like a lot to be writing a book at your age, but trust me, it's a big feat. It's not something you should be ashamed of, it's something you should be proud of! It may start off like a silly little idea, but the second you get into it, it will become something you'd never want to let go of! Don't you want to change someone the same way a book you read changed you?

Tip number 5:

Start writing.

You may think you're not ready, or that it's not good enough. But trust me, no one is ever ready to start anything new. And you'd never know till you try. You could start with dialogue or an action scene. Whatever you start can be changed later. And remember, you can't edit a blank page. So, what are you waiting for? Kill those doubts and go write that book!