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I see a lot of new writers ask the same question: where do I begin?
And people will say, "You begin with a sentence! And go from there!"
That is a charming thought. But the truth is, it's hard to write a good sentence, much less a good story. Being a good writer takes hard work. You can't accidentally become a good writer.
(You can accidentally become a popular or even best-selling author. Popular is not synonymous with good.)
If you're new to writing, where to begin? Begin with reading.
Reading with Intention
Of course, it's not enough to simply read. You have to pay attention while you're reading. Take notes, if necessary, but mostly try to be present.
For instance, when I'm reading an engaging book and a plot point develops, I always check to see how far through the book I am. I started to notice that, more often than not, things happen during the midpoint.
Now I've read some books on writing (more on that later) and I've read that the midpoint is a pivotal moment of change in your novel. But I had already intuitively picked this up by paying attention while reading.
So when you read, read with intention. You are no longer just reading for fun. You are reading to become a better writer.
Okay, you can read for fun sometimes.
Read Inside Your Genre
An important part of reading with intention is reading inside your target genre. You want to see what other writers are doing—not to copy their style, but to see what works and what doesn't.
Some writers I know don't like to do this. They are afraid that by reading similar works, they will unconsciously adopt another writer's voice during their process. That's valid; when I go on a Maeve Binchy reading binge, sometimes I start to write like Maeve Binchy. So it's another thing you have to watch out for. Read, but keep your voice.
Read Books on Craft
These days, I try to read a book on craft every month. But just reading one book a year is helpful. There are plenty of excellent books to choose from. They cover a variety of topics, from structure to prose to editing. Some of my favorites:
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