Writing Tips and Advice

[L.B.]

Hi, my name is L.B. Schulman and I’ve written two books: My second YA novel, Stolen Secrets (Boyds Mills Press), comes out on 9/19/17. I’ve been giving writing tips on Quora and on my website for awhile, and it seems like the tips might be appreciated here, so thought I would start posting on my Goodreads blog. Hope you enjoy!

Any authors who have good advice for aspiring novelists, let's post them here so we can all share the great information.

[L.B.]

I'll start it off with my blog post today on my GR blog, copied here:

How to Begin a Novel

There’s a lot of good “how-to” advice here, but I want you to pre-write. That means finding resources to prepare you for the journey ahead. Let’s look at a few:

1 Join an organization of other writers in your genre. I can’t say enough about how much great advice on craft I’ve received from being a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and illustrators.) They offer conferences, classes, articles, and more that have really helped me hone my skills.

2 Read, read, read everything you can in your genre. Think about what works. Think about what doesn’t. Then incorporate what you’ve learned in your own work.


3 Read craft books. One designed for screenwriters that applies to books is Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. Read about structure and plotting so you don’t have to muck around for years learning through trial and error.

4 Go to author sites and see if they offer free content on the craft of writing. I have an area on LBSchulman.com called For Writers Only, where I post articles for writers, such as my Top Ten List for Beginning Writers.


5 Join a critique group. Find your local fellow beginner writers and trade pages. These people will become invaluable to your growth as a writer and provide much needed support and inspiration as you follow your dreams.

6 Finally, write. An hour a day is enough. Doesn’t matter if it’s crap or genius. You will get better and better with practice!