Attention! Calling all new teen writers who have no clue how to move forward!

Do you want some tips on how to improve your writing? Do you want to know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong? Well, this is the article for you. 

Tip one: Write every day! 

The only way you can truly improve your writing is to work on it everyday. New ideas come everyday, so use them! 

Tip two: Read everything! 

Yes, literally. It may bore you and you may not care for it at all, but the best way to learn how to improve your writing is to read someone else’s work that has been successfully published. 

Tip Three: Don’t waste your life away writing. 

Yes, write every day. Yes, read everyday. But, do not spend your entire life hunched over your computer or notebook, writing. Live your life. Do the things you’ve always wanted. Just set aside a small amount of time to write. 

Tip Four: Look into the publishing industry. 

If you are truly serious about your writing, look into what goes into publishing your works and what you can start doing (besides successfully finishing your book) to get yourself published. If you’re planning on writing about a certain genre, such as science fiction or mystery, then look into that specific field too. 

Tip Five: Be ready for rejection. 

You’re not going to make it big with your first book, or your first time publishing. Don’t take it too hard WHEN you get rejected. Find out what you can do better and start there. Keep writing. Maybe your second book will make it. It’s definitely going to take multiple times of trying to get published and noticed. 

Tip Six: Start getting published now. 

You are currently reading the school newspaper. Come talk to Ms. Smith or one of the students participating in Newspaper to see if you can submit one of your pieces. Or maybe it could become a series. Again, you may get rejected, but you never know until you try. 

Tip Seven: Relax. 

Writing can be frustrating and stressful, but just stay calm. If you start to get frustrated, take some time to yourself and cool down. 

Tip Eight: You don’t have to be an English major, but TRY to pay attention in English class. 

Grammatical errors, spelling errors, etc., will be a major factor in whether you get published or not. Have an English student or teacher read over it and take their advice on how to improve. It’ll definitely help. 

Tip Nine: There is no such thing as writer’s block. 

This is just a term to use instead of what it actually is: lack of confidence. You’re basically just not ready for the next step. 

Tip Ten: Work with someone. 

People think that writers just sit in solitary all day every day and just write. Not true! Writers work together all the time, especially when writing a movie or TV script. “Some writers are a publishing team. Some are performers” (Jane Friedman, Writing Advice for Children and Teens). 

As a writer, I use these ten tips every day, or at least try to. I know it is definitely a lot easier said than done, but that’s okay. Writing isn’t easy, especially for people who are serious about it. For those who write just for fun, you can still use these tips and maybe start to become serious about it. Writing can be very satisfying if you take your time and enjoy it, not stress over it. A book cannot be written in a day, a week, a month. It will take you at least a year, maybe longer. 

Maybe check out NanoRimo. NanoRimo is a website for writers that allows you to write a story, but only gives you one month. It will test your patience, but it will be worth it. It will really improve your writing skills and your tolerance and stress level.  

The Spartan Shield is considering holding a short story competition for the month of December, so keep your eyes and ears open for further details!