Details: Write a bulleted essay—meaning it has an intro and conclusion PLUS five “bulleted” pieces of advice for young writers writing their first lengthy story. Draw on your own experience completing this assignment. Each bulleted paragraph should be 100-150 words of “advice.”

It is often hard for young writers to begin their first book. It’s a daunting task, trying to come up with an idea, and than capitalizing on it, expanding it, and putting it onto paper. Drawing from my most recent experience, I can safely give a new reader 5 pieces of advice.

1. If you have an idea that you like, pick it, waiting for a long time to have a good idea is something that I did, and regretted, since no idea was perfect, and every single idea that I shot down could have been good in it’s own story. In the end, by picking an idea early on, you have more time to work on the rest of the story.
2. Don’t try to make it like the Oddyssey. I did this for the first chapter, and failed miserably, I ended up having to go back and make the writing better, to avoid it seeming like a really bad poem. It was an annoying mistake that haunted me later on in the process. So definitely don’t make the mistake I did.
3. Do not change the story in your head after the first chapter. Since I had an Idea for Harl to be Eric’s mentor, teaching him the ways of the world, but ended up scrapping this later on for Quintus. This made Harl seem like a very unnecessary character to me, and to this day I think it would have been better if he wasn’t in it.
4. Try not to spend to much time in the final battle. I obviously did this, and made it very lengthy. Which was fine, but it still could have been better for the story if it has lasted about half as much, giving me time to expand the other chapters and character development.
5. Finally, have fun with the project, it is not something to get worked up over, in the end it is about building your own characters and world, and making it come to life in words. (Not verse) I’ve always gotten stressed out over projects like these, and haven’t had the fun that I could have. If I had looked at this more like a hobby, and less like a project, then my morale and writing would have turned out better.

These trips are not from an expert, I’ve only written one book. But still, heed my advice, since I have pored my heart and soul into a book that I won’t forget anytime soon. This is no ordinary project, so enjoy it, and don’t make the stakes that I have.