"Well, where do I start?"

Many teenage writers are readers too. They enjoy reading and have often read from a very early age. Like me, the public library was a calming place and the multitude of colorful spines were comforting for many. However, it wasn't until I was struggling to start my first book, Outcast, a few years ago that the library made me loose my confidence.

There is a popular saying: Reading calms you down but writing stresses you out.

That doesn't have to be the case. With a few tips, you can get a great start to your book and avoid many rookie mistakes.

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Character Backgrounds

Something many professionals do is understand and shape their main characters first before even starting to think about their plot. This enables them to create such a believable character with wants and needs that are actually realistic.

Have you ever read a book that made you wince when a character said something so cringe. It immediately makes readers immediately put the book down because one of the main reasons people read books is to sympathize with them. If a person can't relate to a character in your book, then they are much more likely to stop reading.

Here are a few questions you should know before starting to write:

​Physical Characteristics	This includes height, weight, eye color, preferred fashion style, etc.
Emotional Luggage	Is there any incident that happened before the plot that is causing them to act a certain way? Is it causing visible problems or is the character suppressing those emotions?
Current Needs and Desires	What does the character need to do in the span of the book? What is driving them?
Conflict	What is stopping them from achieving that goal?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you understand your character as an individual person rather than some fictional version of you.

Outlining

I've talked about it in a previous post, but outlining is a controversial way to plan out your story. There are many negatives and positives to using an outline so experimenting is the way to go. Use an outline for one story to see if it helped or you ended up straying far from the outline.

Here are a few positives for using outlines:

1. Prevents plot holes and inconsistencies since everything is already planned ahead of time

2. Less chance of getting stuck plot wise since you already have a map.

3. Easier to stay organized. A short version of the story is already available.

Possible negatives:

1. Might limit certain writers who like figuring it out as they go.

2. Some ideas may just not be feasible when they are actually in writing.

Again, outlines only work for some so use with caution!

Current Market Trends

One of the important aspects of actually publishing your book doesn't even relate to your writing. Agents and publishers are always analyzing what current readers and liking and buying and choose manuscripts that fall in line with current trends. Books published in the 1800s that may be classics may not even make it to publishing in contemporary times.

Not because they're bad – but because readers like different things today.

For example, third person and omniscient narrators are starting to be avoided by publishers and authors. Most readers are starting to prefer first person more so that they can truly see everything from the protagonist's perspective.

It is something to be aware of, the current publishing trends, so that you can plan your story according to them. However if you do feel as though your story is incomplete without a concept that may be outdated, take that risk! If a story is truly good, even if it slightly goes against current trends, publishers will consider it.

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Congratulations on completing the first step! Getting into the mindset to start a book is hard, and I'm glad you are at least ready to give it a shot.

Using these tips, you can get a good start in writing that future best-seller!