New Year, New Writer - Guest Post by Bella Raine

Hi everyone! I’m Bella Raine, your fellow young writer and blogger from over in this bookish corner of the Internet! It’s officially 2024!! Woohoo!! It’s a new year which means a chance for a fresh start in your writing! My good friend, Christopher, asked me to do a guest post for you guys with my top TEN ways you can improve your writing this year and start the year with a bang in terms of your writing goals! 💥

Number One: Pray + Involve God

 

God is by far the MOST important part of my writing. God is the Ultimate Author and if you feel the calling of writing in your life (and you’re a Christ-follower) then HE is the one who put that spark of an author in you! More than anything He wants to be involved in your process, so by all means LET HIM! I know personally I can see a drastic difference in my writing sessions if I first take my words, pen, and heart to the foot of the Throne and invite Him to move within me. It truly makes a difference guys, and it is one of the best things that you can do for your writing!!

Number Two: Be Willing To Learn

 

Learning is one of my favorite parts of being a writer. There are tons of online resources I love using to learn more, but I am part of an online writing community and as part of that I have access to an entire library of hundreds of video lessons, courses, and interviews that are chock-full of great information. You can ALWAYS learn more, and grow more, and become a better writer so taking the time to invest in some resources to help you grow will always help you along your writer journey!

Number Three: Read Prolifically

One of the things I hear the MOST from other authors about what their top tips are is reading. Read, read, read, read, READ! It’s nearly impossible to be a writer without being a reader. (and for those people out there who just write and not read, I literally don’t know how you do it! 😂) Read all kinds of genres and styles. Taking note of how other authors craft their characters, build their worlds, create their plots, end their chapters, and everything else is so helpful for us writers. Even if you are simply getting lost in the story completely forgetting about that fact you’re a writer and merely just enjoying a good story is amazing! (these are some of the books that I just simply get LOST within the pages of!)

Another quick thing to note is if you don’t have time to read, a) make time 😉, but b) grab an audiobook! I know sometimes audiobooks can get a bad rap “you’re not really reading if you’re listening”, but I want to just right now go ahead and say that’s completely wrong! Listening to audiobooks can sometimes be even MORE helpful because when we are reading we tend to skim over tricky parts, or boring descriptions but when you’re listening to a book, you can’t do that!! It forces you to slow down and really enjoy the challenging parts that you may otherwise have skipped over, and I don’t think I need to explain why that’s so awesome as a writer! 😉

Number Four: Ask For Advice

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice! There are SO many authors and fellow writers out there who have so much wisdom to share, and often we are so thrilled to share it! I know how I feel whenever a friend of mine asks me for my advice on writing and I’m sure I’m not alone! Getting advice and talking to people, not only helps you, but it builds connections and friendships!

Number Five: Be Bold + Fearless

Sometimes part of being a writer is taking risks, and being bold. And you know what, being bold pays off!! Maybe your fearless step of boldness is reaching out to an author you look up to for advice or mentorship. Maybe it’s challenging yourself to write a whole novel in 30 days, during National Novel Writing Month (like Christopher did! 😃). Maybe it’s asking a blogger to swap guest posts with you. Maybe it’s just reaching out and telling an author how much their books blessed you. (I did this with Jennifer Nielsen and let me tell you I was on cloud nine when she responded to me! 🤩) Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to be BOLD!! 

Number Six: Know Your Process

Every writer has a process and the way they work best. Every writer has a time they are the most creative, or maybe a place they thrive writing in. Maybe you write best under a deadline. (not me! 😆) Maybe you like writing in a loud coffee shop, or maybe you have to be locked in a silent room. Maybe you work best first thing in the morning, or really late at night. Experiment with your process and figure out what it is! Now, of course, we aren’t going to have ideal environments everytime we sit down to write, but we can make an effort to!

Number Seven: Have A Community

Community is SO important!!! Even if you are introverted, you CANNOT hide yourself away in a writer's lair for the rest of your life!! Surrounding yourself with other writers is just so good! Maybe it’s an online community like I mentioned or maybe it’s a few friends who can keep you accountable. Find your people, and invest in them, and guard them! 

Number Eight: Use Notebooks

Need I say more? Notebooks I believe are the lifeblood of a writer. I didn’t know how much I needed them until one night I woke up from a dream that was so inspiring and I just grabbed the first notebook I had on hand scribbling down my notes. Now ……. Yeah I have wayyyyy too many notebooks now. BUT they are so so so SO amazing! I have dedicated notebooks for each of my WIP’s (work-in-progresses) and then a notebook for ideas, a notebook for random scenes and stories, and of course a mini notebook I keep tucked in my purse for those poems that hit you at full force in the middle of a family dinner at a restaurant (true story).

Number Nine: Get Feedback

This is what that community I mentioned earlier is so good for. Getting feedback and critique on your writing is just so so great! I know it can feel so hard to turn over our precious writing babies to get picked apart but it is physically IMPOSSIBLE to become a published author without getting other people’s feedback!! I know it hurts but push through (and please don’t take it personally!), for it will bring you so much growth!

Number Ten: Have Fun

HAVE FUN! I had to make this my last tip because writing is just so fun! Don’t get so caught up in the technicalities, the stress, the first draft, the to-do list, that you forgot how much you love writing! Maybe you need a break from your WIP, to find the lost joy of writing and you know what? That’s ok! Do whatever you need to but at the end of the day, don’t forget the joy and pleasure of just . . . writing. 

Change the Way You Write

Well there you have it! My top 10 ways to improve your writing this year! I hope that you found some good tid-bits of info in there, and it gives you some motivation so you can surge forward into the new year, writing your best! Thank you so much for reading! I’m cheering you on! 🎉 

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written by  Bella Raine

Bella Raine is a fun-loving, creative, homeschooled young lady with a passion for pure books, fluid art, writing for His glory, fall weather, and the belief that it’s never too hot for sweatshirts! While working toward traditional publication for her Middle Grade novel, Bella loves creating and selling fluid art on her store, reading lots of books, drinking frozen kombucha, and hanging out with her family and friends on her small farm in Tennessee! Bella has already been published in two historical fiction anthologies and runs a blog about all things books, art, and writing. You can stop by her blog here or check out her store here! She would also love to connect with you through her email list!