Writing is one of the oldest forms of story telling, right after cave paintings and word of mouth, of course. Not only is it one of the earliest, it is also one of the most prevalent. Writing has stayed a consistent form of entertainment for thousands of years. In 2023, there were an estimated 185 million unique books that exist in the world.
That estimate does not include all of the amateur stories that are not professionally published. It also does not account for short stories, or the countless online submissions across the internet.
Amateur writing is usually very easy to tell apart from something professionally done. This is due to a handful of important things. The biggest one is the exclusion of editors. Professional writers usually have a whole team of people looking for mistakes in their work before publication. This is something that cannot be helped while an amateur, but is okay because there are a couple of other important tips to use to make someone’s writing seem more professional.
The first tip to use is a simple one: word choice. An author’s lexicon can really separate them from the masses. It is important that when writing a string of sentences to not use the same word often. Diversifying a story’s dictionary allows the reader to paint a better picture of what is happening in their head. It also keeps the reader’s attention, stimulating their brain with new or unfamiliar words.
To look more into the actual content of writing a story there are two really big ones that can improve a story. The first one is going to be worldbuilding.
Before starting a story, a good author should be aware of all the ins and outs of the respected universe. Prior to writing the first sentences of any story the location, time and context need to be thought out. This is known as the story’s setting, and is a large part of worldbuilding. Locations can range from real life places or total fantasy lands.
Time is also another important factor. Where in history is the story taking place? Does it align with the current time line for Earth or is it a completely fictitious history taking place? This also plays into the context of the story. How has the world advanced and grown? Is science much more advanced, or is the planet stuck in a stone age? Is the supernatural a common occurrence or does science determine what happens on Earth? These are all questions that can take an amateur setting into a professionally set up one.
Another key part of world building is allowing time to pass and events to happen within the story’s universe. When a person is reading something in a fictional setting, they will expect things to happen outside of the main characters’ lives. To create a realistic setting, one must allow a universe to exist outside of the main cast. A good way to do this is by allowing a character to drop exposition through dialogue.
Exposition drops can be an efficient way of world building but it is critical to not overly rely on wordy explanations for events. This builds on the next important tip for amateur writers: show do not tell. Now this is one of the most well known tips to keep in mind when writing. A good author does not need to cram information down its reader’s throat. Context for a scene does not need to be told simply in conversation. This can be boring for the audience. Breaking up exposition can help a lot.
Remember, it is not a bad thing to keep readers in the dark. Now that worldbuilding and exposition are out of the way it would be a good time to bring up reader satisfaction. This is one of the biggest blunders for beginner writers. The audience does not need to be up to date on every twist and turn. Allowing the reader to make their own assumptions will keep them engaged with the story. Not letting mysteries simmer long enough can cause the reveal to feel cheap and shallow.
Also, it is okay to let the reader feel bad. Characters do not always need to be at their peak all the time. It is easy to want to write a character who always gets their way and never struggles too much. This can cause plotlines to feel too simple and not carry any real stakes. Characters need to be written with at least a few flaws. If not, characters feel boring and unrelatable.
These few tips can really improve an amateur’s overall writing skills.