My name is Sophie, and you may know me on here by the username Siriusly_fandoms! One of my more popular books is A Note A Day, which you should check out if you haven't already!
I started writing on here when I was pretty young — I think I created an account the summer of my sixth grade, when I was twelve. I got my start by writing Percy Jackson fan-fictions, and as embarrassing as those are now that I look back on it, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I got my start, and here I am!
I'm still a fairly young writer, and I started to get pretty successful with my own works in just the eighth grade. For this post, I thought I would give some tips that I wish I knew about as a young writer, and some life-and-school tips as a soon to be senior in high school.
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TEN WRITING TIPS FROM A TEENAGER:
The best way to get better at writing is to keep writing. That, and reading more, really increased my level of writing. Since I've been writing since the sixth grade, I've seen my word choice mature, my descriptions become more detailed, and my dialogue become much more realistic. The more you immerse yourself with writing, and the more practice you get, the more you will see your own writing get better.
Edit your writing. Going back after you finish a chapter and checking both your grammar and spelling really improve a story. Not to mention, when looking back at a chapter once you've completed it, sometimes it's good to add in extra scenes or take scenes out that now seem out of place.
Show, don't tell! I've struggled with this a lot, but this tip has really improved my writing. When writing how someone feels, don't just say they're "sad". Use description to help you craft the perfect showcase of this emotion; maybe your character's shoulders droop, or they squeeze their eyes shut and wipe something off their cheek. It's much more effective, and leaves much more of an impact than, "He was sad".
Keep writing. Even if you have no idea where a chapter is going, push yourself to keep writing. You can always make edits after finishing, and once it's finished, you might feel better about the writing than you did when you started it.
Be open to any and all criticism, even ask for it! Sometimes it's best to hear other opinions. It may even strike up inspiration. Ask friends, family, or even people here on Wattpad! You don't necessarily need to agree with it, but maybe try something new!
But at the end of the day, write for you! Make the choices you feel are best for your book, and don't feel influenced by readers and critics to change your mind. If you think that it's best for your book, do it! Don't feel pressured, and write something you're happy with!
Use your life and your surroundings to inspire your writing. I often find myself listening to music and feeling the emotion, and that helps me transfer the feelings into my writing. Also, events in my life help me relate to my writing, for instance, days at school or conversations with friends. Channel your emotions and your surroundings into your writing, and it will make it a lot more real and raw.
Find the right environment to write in. For me, I love writing at night, because I have no distractions, no sounds, and it's just me and a pencil. Sometimes I like to write with music, because it gives me the right emotion I need for the chapter, although other times, it distracts me. Find out if you like writing in your bedroom, in a library, at school, etc, and once you find the best writing environment for you, you will feel much more creatively inspired, especially if you have fewer distractions.
Leave readers wanting more. The best way to get readers hooked is to have twists and turns throughout your story. Try not to have a ridiculous amount, because the shocking effect will just wear out and become annoying. In my stories, I always try to make one big cliffhanger, one major plot twist that is embedded throughout the book, to really keep readers intrigued. Of course, I add mini twists along the way, but just do whatever to keep them entertained without becoming cheesy.
Most importantly, be proud of your writing. Not many people understand how much work goes into writing books. It can be frustrating, intense, exhausting, and more. To have even one chapter is a feat only some conquer. It is a lot of work to come up with a plot, characters, personalities, names, places, dialogue, events, twists, turns, tones, descriptions, and more. Be proud that you wrote it, even if it wasn't the most perfect or didn't receive the highest stats. You put time and energy into it, and that alone is something to be proud of that not too many have accomplished.
SCHOOL TIPS FROM A SOON-TO-BE SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL:
Be aware of your schedule and pace your schoolwork accordingly. If you know you have a test on Thursday and you were invited to a concert on Wednesday night, maybe turn it down, or even just study on Tuesday. Pace yourself, and make proper adjustments to place school on a high standard. Sometimes you will need to make sacrifices, but be aware of the time you need and the time you have available to you.
Study, even if you don't think you need it. I have a habit of this, after a few months of school have gone by, I usually slack off on studying, especially in the easier classes. But if you are able to study for everything, even just ten minutes, it will help you tremendously. Whether it be on Quizlet making your own flashcards, rewriting the notes, reciting it to yourself, or whatever else it is you do to study, try to be prepared for every test going into it to increase our grades, even if it is just a little bit.
BE INVOLVED. I cannot stress this enough. My Sophomore year, I created my school's writing club. I joined two after-school choirs, yearbook club, a YMCA program, the literary magazine's club, another volunteering program, and my school's music council. Not only will this look extremely good for college, I also became really close friends with so many more people of many different grades. It is a time that I can take a break from school business and do things I'm passionate about. If there's something you're passionate about that doesn't have a club, start it! This will give you something to look forward to after a long school day, and I promise it's worth it. I would recommend also being involved in those clubs so one day in later years, you can run that club, which also looks extremely good for colleges, and is also very fun! And it is never too late to join a club! I finally joined my school's yearbook club at the end of my junior year, and I don't think I will regret it!
Don't push yourself too hard. Know when to take breaks when needed. Stressing about school 24/7 is not healthy, even if you're pushing yourself to get into MIT or Harvard. Have a snack, watch TV, or even just nap. Relax when you can, and don't put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect all the time. It can really be damaging, especially with everything students these days have to accomplish.
A bad grade isn't the end of the world. I have had my fair share of bad grades. It can make me pretty mad, especially if I studied hard on the subject matter, but just look forward and work harder so that the next test, you can bring your grade up! It's not the end of the world if you get a B, a C, a D, or whatever! I've gotten plenty of tests with lower grades, but somehow I've managed to pull through the years with pretty solid A's! Just use it as motivation for your next grade, and push yourself to achieve your goal!
Start thinking about college fairly early. I have to admit, I was late to the "college" party, so I'm really just getting into touring schools this summer, the summer of my junior year. I would recommend you start looking into college pamphlets your summer going into sophomore year. If you can figure out what type of school you want to go to that early on (big, small, populated, not very populated, city, rural, etc.), the college touring process will be much easier. Also, you will be more aware of what grades and averages and SAT scores you need to achieve to get into those schools so you're not screwing yourself over without realizing it.
Volunteer!!! I only started volunteering during my sophomore year, and I joined a YMCA Leaders program. It looks amazing for college, and it really gives you a sense of pride and community, working with a group of peers to better the community or other people's lives. It is a special feeling, and I'd recommend you look into any opportunities you can!
Organize your life. Having a clean locker, a neat folder/binder, easy routes to class . . . All of these can drastically change your high school experience. Writing in a planner helps you keep track of homework and passwords, making a plan right away about what books and binders you need at what times of the day can make your locker trips much faster and more efficient. I would really recommend making your life as efficient as you can right off the bat, so that your high school experience is much smoother.
Be open to making new friends and losing old ones. High school, many say that you come out with an entirely different group than you came in with. I somewhat agree with this, but it really is beneficial. You will start to realize what you are into and what you are not, and many people will drift away because of this. Know who your true friends are, and they could come at the most unpredictable times. A lot of my new friends came this year, my junior year, during a chorus trip to Toronto! Be open to friends of any grade and hold close the friends that are kind to you and make you laugh.
And lastly, enjoy your time. If you go into high school miserable, you will likely continue to be miserable. My freshman year was terrible, because I didn't plan out my time, didn't study well, hadn't been close with too many people, and generally cried a lot. But if you do join things you're passionate about, find your people, get involved with rally days and other silly school events, take needed breaks, divide your time, and spend quality time with the people you love, high school will not be nearly as daunting as a threat. I really will miss it I think, not only because of the friends I've made, but also because of the experiences I've had because I learned to step out of my shell a little bit and get involved.
(an extra tidbit) Unless you are planning on going to the most prestige school in the world, do not freak out over AP/Honors classes. Freshman year, I took all of the highest leveled classes. I did fine, I think averaging with a mid-A, but that year took such a toll on me, and I cried a lot. I realized sophomore year that I should focus on classes I'm passionate about and things I want to pursue in life rather than pass in a class I'm ripping my hair out to manage, while all my other grades suffer with it. I'm still taking some higher-level classes, but I would honestly recommend put more time and effort into the classes you need for your upcoming major at college rather than stress yourself out and weigh your GPA down with some AP course in a subject you despise. This is only my thought process, but it has let me go through the last few years of high school a lot less stressed out, and my grades have soared because of it, even in the higher-leveled courses. And overall, I'm happier :)
Thank you all for reading, and feel free to check out my new book, Searching for Roses, along for my oldie-but-goodie, A Note A Day! The book trailers for those:
Thank you for reading!
Siriusly_fandoms will giveaway dedications to two lucky winners! My giveaway is open internationally.
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