Chronicles of the Craft: Writing Tips for New Authors

17 Things Someone Probably Tried to Tell Me Before I Learned the Hard Way

Apr 29, 2025

Nobody hands you a guidebook when you start writing.

You pick things up as you go — a piece of advice from a favorite author, a late-night Google search, a half-remembered line from an old craft book. Some advice sticks. Some doesn’t. Some rules turn out to be myths. And some "best practices" have to be broken a dozen times before you figure out how you write best.

At the end of the day, it’s not about how many writing "rules" you memorize.
It’s about how you shape the story on the page — how you breathe life into it, draft by draft, mistake by mistake, until it finally feels like it belongs to you.

These are a few lessons I’ve picked up along the way — not expert commandments, just things I try to keep in mind as I fumble toward writing better stories, one stubborn sentence at a time.

1. Make Every Character Sound Like Themselves

If you covered up the dialogue tags, would you still know who’s speaking? You should.

Rhythm and vocabulary: Some characters ramble. Others barely get three words out.
Swearing: Some curse in every sentence. Others wouldn’t dare.
What they fixate on: One character always turns the conversation back to themselves. Another steers every topic toward politics. Someone else is obsessed with food.
How they react: An optimist cracks a joke in a crisis. A cynic rolls their eyes. A control freak tries to take charge.

Dialogue should move like real speech, not a perfectly structured essay. Give each voice its own quirks.

2. Show Emotion. Tell Feelings.

Good writing isn’t about always showing—it’s about knowing when to show.

✅ Show emotion:
Her hands clenched into fists, knuckles bone-white. No one else spoke, but she swallowed hard, pressing her lips together as if that could hold back the tremble in her throat.

❌ Don’t waste time showing feelings:
Her arms felt heavy, her body sluggish, every blink a battle against exhaustion.

Just say she’s tired. If it doesn’t deepen the moment, move on.

And when you do show, three sentences max. Drown the reader in paragraphs of sadness, and they’ll start skimming.

3. Strengths and Flaws? Same Thing.

A good trait turns bad when used at the wrong time. A flaw becomes an asset in the right situation.

A determined character refuses to give up. Great—until they push too hard and wreck everything.
A kind character sees the best in people. Beautiful—until someone takes advantage of them.
A fearless character charges into danger. Admirable—until they get themselves (and everyone else) killed.

Exceptions exist. (A character can be clumsy just for laughs.) But for the most part, the best flaws are strengths, just used at the wrong moment.

4. What Does Your Character Want?

No one moves through life without wanting something. Every character—main, side, or background—needs:

Something that helps them (love, stability, a fresh start).
Something that hurts them (revenge, control, a habit they can’t break).
Something that’s just dumb fun (the perfect cup of tea, an ongoing rivalry over board games, a ridiculous bet they refuse to lose).

If your characters don’t want anything, the story drifts. Give them reasons to push forward.

5. Cut Thought Verbs—Let the Action Speak

Readers don’t need to sit inside a character’s head if their actions do the talking. Instead of:

❌ She remembered how he used to brush her hair.
✅ Back in their sophomore year, he’d run his fingers through her curls, slow and careful, untangling every knot without a word.

Don’t tell me they’re frustrated. Let them shove their chair back hard enough to scrape the floor. Don’t tell me they’re in love. Let them touch the sleeve of their crush’s coat like it’s the most interesting fabric they’ve ever seen.

Put characters together. Make them do things.

6. Ban Weak Verbs. Watch for Lazy Adverbs.

❌ Ann’s eyes are blue.
✅ Ann coughed, waving away cigarette smoke, her eyes blue and watering.

❌ “I’m not a child,” she said angrily.
✅ “I’m not a child.” Her jaw tightened. A breath left her in a huff as she turned away.

Every time an adverb sneaks in, ask if the sentence works harder without it. Most of the time, it does.

7. Sentence Flow Matters

Even with a great plot, clunky writing kills momentum. Keep sentences varied.

Short sentences punch.
Longer ones pull the reader into a rhythm, stretching tension, drawing them into the world until—
Snap. Short again. Impact lands.

If every line reads the same, readers check out. Keep them engaged.

8. Your Narrator Isn’t Psychic

First-person narrators can’t know what another character thinks.

❌ My sister scrunched up her face, trying not to say what she was thinking.
✅ My sister’s lips pressed tight, a battle between words and silence. She exhaled sharply and turned toward the window instead.

No need to explain. The reader gets it.

Same with “because” sentences. Instead of:

❌ He didn’t speak because he was too sad.

Try:

✅ His lips parted, then closed again. Hands in his lap, jaw tight. He looked down and said nothing.

No need to spoon-feed the reason. The silence tells the story.

9. Cut the Filler—Every Sentence Must Earn Its Place

Readers don’t need filler words slowing them down. Trim anything that doesn’t pull its weight.

❌ She began to walk toward the door.
✅ She walked to the door.

❌ He seemed like he might be angry.
✅ His jaw tightened, eyes dark.

Every sentence should either:

Reveal character
Move the plot forward
Deepen emotion

If it does none of those? Cut it.

10. Watch Out for “Stage Direction” Writing

New writers often over-explain movement, turning every action into a step-by-step breakdown. Trust the reader to fill in the blanks.

❌ She reached for the doorknob with her right hand, gripping it tightly before twisting it and pulling the door open.
✅ She yanked the door open.

Unless the way they open the door tells us something (hesitant, shaking, slamming it shut), keep it clean.

11. Avoid “Just” “Really” “Very” and Other Empty Words

Words like just, really, very, kind of, sort of—they weaken the sentence. Cut them.

❌ She was really nervous about the meeting.
✅ Her hands wouldn’t stay still. The meeting started in five minutes.

If a word doesn’t add meaning, it’s dead weight.

12. Drop Info Naturally—No “As You Know, Bob” Dialogue

Characters don’t talk in Wikipedia summaries. Instead of:

❌ “As you know, Bob, our father disappeared 10 years ago, and we’ve been struggling ever since.”

Try:

✅ Alice yanked open a drawer, scattering old papers. “You still keep Dad’s junk?”
“Yeah,” she said, flipping through them. Ten years gone, and she still half-expected to find a note he left behind.

Dialogue should feel real—not like a history lesson.

13. Give Minor Characters a Spark of Life

Even if a side character only appears once, make them real. Give them something small that makes them pop:

The blacksmith who hums constantly, even mid-sentence.
The palace servant who always has a sarcastic comment under their breath.
The shopkeeper who smells like cinnamon and swears by putting nutmeg in everything.

A little detail turns them from NPC to memorable.

14. When in Doubt, Skip the First Chapter

Many writers start their book too early. The real story begins in chapter two. If your first pages are all backstory, worldbuilding, and setup—skip ahead. Start where things change.

15. Write the Scene Like a Movie—Then Cut What’s Boring

Picture the scene like a film in your head. What are the camera angles? What details matter? Write that. Then cut anything that feels like dead air.

❌ She walked into the café, scanning the room. The walls were painted blue. A man sat by the window, sipping coffee. The barista smiled as she approached the counter. She pulled out her wallet, checking how much cash she had before ordering a latte.

✅ The scent of espresso hit first—strong enough to pull her awake. The barista smiled. “Your usual?”

Readers don’t need every step. They need the heartbeat of the moment.

16. Give Your World Texture—People Need to Live in It

Fantasy or contemporary, your world should feel lived in. What do people eat? How do they curse? What local gossip is going around?

Instead of:
❌ The town was small, with cobbled streets and old buildings.

Try:
✅ Bread baked early in the morning, and by noon, the whole town smelled of rosemary and yeast. The cobbled streets had dips where carts always rolled the same path, and the mayor’s wife still insisted on sweeping dust from her doorstep, though it never stayed clean for long.

The little things make a world feel real.

17. Let the Reader Do Some Work

Not every emotion needs to be spelled out. Readers love implication. Instead of:

❌ He watched her leave, feeling deeply sad.

Try:

✅ She walked away. He didn’t call after her.

The silence says enough.

Writing isn’t about following every rule—it’s about making the story land. Make every sentence count, get to the action fast, and let your characters carry the story.

Writing is a craft built on trial, error, and a whole lot of stubborn persistance. Keep going.

As Always. Happy writing.

Magnolia 🌿

P.S. If any of this saves you from learning the hard way too…you’re welcome. And if not…you’re in good company.