Many people never start their novels because theyâre afraid of failing. Why start something thatâs going to take up so much of your time if itâs not going to be any good? Whatâs the point? The point isâ if you love writing thereâs no reason why you shouldnât do it. If you want to write and it makes you happy, do it.
Some people donât start writing or get discouraged by stuff they read online or hear from other people. Here are a few writing lies you should be aware of:
The bigger your vocabulary, the better
You donât need a massive vocabulary to be a writer. Sure, it helps to know your options, but sometimes the most common and simple words get your point across the best. Vocabulary is something you can learn and grow over time, so donât let that discourage you from getting started. The more you read and write, the bigger your vocabulary is going to get. Writing will only help you improve your skills.
Your grammar needs to be perfect
Grammar is important, but telling a good story is even more important. I try not to worry about grammar too much at first because grammar mistakes arenât that difficult to correct. Plot problems are much more difficult to correct, so you should spend more time focusing on story. Iâm not saying grammar doesnât matter and that itâs not a big part of writing, but it isnât something you should let deter you. Again, reading and writing will only help you improve your grammar.
Not many people are magically born great writers. They spend years writing and soaking up knowledge about the craft before they become great writers. You do not need to have ânaturalâ talent to become a good writer. Using that as an excuse not to write sort of insults other writers in the process. Someone is not good at something because they were born good at it. Theyâre good because they worked hard to improve themselves. Stop using this as an excuse not to write.
I know it might make sense to some people to write in a genre thatâs popular, but that wonât get you very far. The market is always changing, so itâs never a good idea to write what you think someone might like to read. Donât write a dystopian novel because you want to find the same audience as The Hunger Games. Write a dystopian novel because you feel passionate about your story and itâs the story you want to tell. Iâm not telling you to avoid popular genres, Iâm just telling you to reevaluate your motivation. If youâre writing to make loads of money, it will probably not work out that way. Write a story you desperately want to tell.
No one will root for that character
Some people might try to discourage you from writing âdifferentâ characters because they think people wonât be able to relate to them. For example, Iâve been rejected by a publisher because there were too many female characters in my novel and they didnât think a male reader would be able to relate. I always thought this concept was flawed because if Iâve written a good character really anyone should be able to relate regardless of gender. The point is, donât let anyone tell you what types of characters you should write. Just work on developing them and making their story the best it can be.
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