Advice to my Younger Author Self

This article was submitted by author H.C. Harper as a way to help our growing community. You can find more great stuff over at www.hcharper.com!

Embarking on a journey as a new author is an exhilarating experience filled with boundless possibilities. However, it’s also a path filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. Will I be good enough? Will anyone like it? Will anyone read my book? As you sit before a blank page, wrestling with the weight of originality and the fear of imperfection, you almost stop before you start.

DO NOT STOP!

Have you ever gotten a really good idea, start writing and see a vaguely similar trailer for a movie or t.v show? Yeah, I hate it too. When I first started writing, I always struggled with this. I would get a really good idea and get excited, tell a friend and the immediate reply was ‘Oh that’s kind of like *insert tv show here’ I felt like everything that had ever been written had already been written, and that there was no point in me trying to add my own voice to the mix. I was bummed. Then I was offered some sage advice: “Everything has been written before, but it hasn’t been written by you.”

And that changed everything.

Suddenly, I realized that the point of writing wasn’t to say something new, but to say something in my own way. It wasn’t about coming up with a completely original story, but about telling a story that was true to me. That was a much more achievable goal. Sure I create my characters and give them backstories, and in my mind this is a completely original story, but if someone tells me now it’s similar to something else, it doesn’t bother me so much anymore.

Another piece of advice that has helped me a lot is, “You can edit a terrible first draft, you can’t edit a blank page.” The blank page is both a canvas and a barrier. It can be intimidating, whether you write pen to paper or on a Google Doc.  Give yourself permission to write imperfectly in the beginning. Let your ideas flow freely, unburdened by self-criticism. The world is not going to see your rough draft, and trying to make each chapter perfect before getting the core of your story out is going to drive you mad.

It’s complete! It’s done, you did it! Your novel is complete, you’ve picked out or designed a cover and you are ready to send it out into the world! Congratulations! My final piece of advice: Build your community before releasing the book and do not fret too much if your release date does not see a huge number of sales. Your book is alive now, out in the world. It has a lifetime of sales ahead of it.

So if you’re an aspiring author, a new author or just looking for writing advice in general.  I encourage you to remember these pieces of advice. (Or favorite the blog so you can come back to view it later) They have helped me, and I’m sure they will help you too along your writing journey!

Submitted by guest author, H. C. Harper! You can find her books in the Indie Reads section.