A Fun Alphabet of Helpful Tips for Writers

If you’re looking for more helpful tips for writers, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve been doing a lot of coaching for writers lately, so I figured it might be fun—after 25 years as a professional writer—to try to come up with a writing tip for every letter of the alphabet.

You be the judge of how I did.

Helpful Tips for Writers A: Always Believe in Yourself

Your steadfast belief in yourself as a writer is the only thing that will get you through the inevitable ups and downs you’ll face in a lifelong writing career. Feel free to get discouraged now and then, but never stop believing!

B: Be Willing to Do Better

A beginning writer chafes at the idea of having to edit their story again. An experienced writer knows that it can always be better. Always.

Helpful Tips for Writers C: Count Your Blessings

It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of complaining. The market is difficult. It’s hard to find time to write. There’s too much to do to build an author platform.

Complaining can feel good now and then, particularly in a crab session with your fellow writers. Just make sure you don’t too it for too long or too often. Much better to count your blessings.

Even if everything seems to be going wrong, you can still be grateful that you have the opportunity to write whatever you want. You have freedom of expression on the page. That’s no small gift!

D: Use Deadlines

Whether imposed by your editor/agent or self-imposed, deadlines are motivating. If you don’t have any, set some for yourself. The pro writer rarely (if ever) misses a deadline!

E: Edit, Edit!

Never think that your work is above editing. No matter what it is (blog post, poem, short story, novel), it deserves an edit. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure you set the piece aside for at least a day before editing so you can come at it with a fresh eye.

With professional edits—whether from your publisher’s editing department or your own hired editor—don’t be too quick to discount advice you don’t agree with. Ask yourself why the editor felt as they did. Was there something you left unclear? Usually, you can find a way to make the story better even if you don’t exactly follow your editor’s suggestions.

And if you’re self-publishing, don’t skip the editing. You’re shooting for a long-term career here, and every book you put out will be judged for its quality. A good editor will help your work shine.

F: Embrace Failure

It’s common to be afraid of failure. But too often writers let that fear hold them back. Maybe you’re not submitting your work, or you’re not putting yourself out there enough to market your book because you’re afraid you’ll fail.

I’ve learned over the years to take action no matter my fears. It’s always opened doors for me. I’ve never once regretted it.

Helpful Tips for Writers G: Guest Post More Often!

Guest posting is one of the most effective tools you can use to market yourself and your work. Find other blogs that focus on the topics you write about, check their style and submission guidelines, then write a great post for them and submit it.

Don’t forget to add a note at the end of the post with a link back to your site and your newsletter sign-up. It’s most effective to include a free offer for the reader—something they’d be interested in getting so they click on the link and follow through.

If you do it well, you’ll grow your subscriber list and your reputation with regular guest posts.

H: Get Help

Very few writers reach their full potential without some help along the way. For me, my writing took a big turn for the better after I hired my first editor, and again after I attended my first novel-writing workshop.

Writing seems like a solitary gig, but if you want to succeed, don’t be afraid to get help in any way you can. Buy writing books, attend writing conferences, hire editors and coaches, and give yourself every possible opportunity to improve your skills and learn more.

J: Feel the Joy

We writers can get caught up in book publishing and all its challenges. We can worry too much about whether or not our stories are selling well.

Whenever you find yourself going down the road of discouragement, return to the work. Most likely, you started writing because you enjoyed it, but maybe you lost that connection somewhere along the way.

Try to sequester yourself somewhere you won’t be disturbed and write just for the fun of it. Remind yourself what it’s like to enjoy the process with no expectations attached. The magic of writing is in writing.

K: Kick Yourself When You Need To

There’s a lot of talk about being kind to yourself as a writer, and sometimes you need to do that. (Another good “K” word.) But I think more often, we need to kick ourselves into gear.

It’s super easy to get lazy and lackluster in your approach to your writing career. We think we have endless time to get around to making our dreams come true, but the truth is that’s just not true. Life can change in an instant, and suddenly you may find yourself wrapped up in a crisis with no time to write.

Take advantage of your happy, healthy days to make sure you’re making progress on your dream. Building a writing career can take years and many books published, so you’ve no time to waste!

L: Love It or Leave It

Professional writers know—it’s just not worth it if you don’t love it.

Writing isn’t easy, and neither is building a writing career. If you find after a time that writing isn’t for you, there’s no shame in letting it go to pursue another dream.

But if you love the way it feels to nail a special scene, finish a story, or find a special new character, writing’s for you. Remember that you’re doing it for the love of it.

Helpful Tips for Writers M: Keep Money In Its Place

Can you earn money as a writer?

Absolutely. I’ve been doing it as a full-time freelance writer for over 25 years. Many other writers also make money writing and publishing books.

Making money as a freelancer requires a disciplined approach and a business mindset. Making money as a book writer requires a lot of marketing savvy and a prolific output.

The key is to decide what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it. I see many writers pressuring themselves to earn money with their books without understanding what’s required to make that happen. Then they get discouraged when the checks aren’t rolling in.

To safeguard your creative self, keep money in its place. Don’t assume that if your writing isn’t earning money, it’s no good. It’s not that simple. If you want to earn money with your writing, educate yourself on how to do that. Otherwise, keep money out of your writing nook.

N: Learn How to Say No

Finding time to write remains a challenge for most writers. Setting priorities helps, but there’s really no better hack for finding more time than saying “no.”

I said “no” to five years of music gigs in my area while I was getting serious about my writing. The time I gained led me to my first publishing contract. Gradually, I worked music back into my life and now I can do both. But writing remains my priority.

How about you?

Helpful Tips for Writers O: Take Time Off When You Need It

If you’re a high-achieving person and a busy writer, you could be risking burnout. Writers have a lot to do these days between writing, editing, building an author platform, and marketing, and we have to fit all this into our already busy lives.

It’s super important to take time off now and then to refill your creative well. Schedule it early in the year so you can look forward to it (and save up if you need to), then take off and enjoy yourself. Getting away can be just what you need to spark new creative ideas for your stories.

P: Publish Smart

What are your publishing goals as a writer?

Far too many writers jump into self-publishing without really thinking about it. Yes, self-publishing is fairly easy these days. But that doesn’t mean you should jump on the bandwagon.

Remember that you need to take a long view toward your writing career. Once your book is out there, it’s building your reputation. You want to be sure it’s your best work—and that it’s truly ready to be published. Make a bad impression on one reader and you can lose that reader for life.

Consider what you want from your writing career. If you want a traditional publishing contract, don’t give up on it. Keep trying. In the meantime, build your author platform and keep working to make your writing better.

If you’re an entrepreneur at heart and want to self-publish, take the time to learn how to do it right. If you build your career carefully, you can have a long and successful one as a self-publisher.

Q: Give Yourself Permission to Quit

Sometimes when feeling discouraged, you may wonder if you should quit writing.

I say welcome this feeling. Examine it. Explore the idea. Maybe you should quit writing. Maybe writing isn’t for you.

You could take it so far as to actually quit. Put your writing away. Spend your time doing something else.

If you don’t come back to it, it was meant to be. You just found out something very important about yourself—writing and the tough writing journey just aren’t for you.

But if you come back despite everything, congratulations: you’re a writer. And you just proved it to yourself. So it’s time to stop complaining and get back to work!

R: Rejections Are Stepping Stones

Every writer who submits their writing anywhere is going to get rejected at some point.

It’s not fun. You’re likely to feel discouraged about it.

See those rejections as what they are—stepping stones to your future writing life. Go back and learn more about writing, querying, and submitting. Try again. Let the scars build up. One day you’ll look back and be grateful for every one.

Helpful Tips for Writers S: Submit

One of the mistakes I made early in my writing career is submitting too infrequently. Back then I was too worried about whether my writing was good enough to submit, so I took much longer to get my career off the ground.

I later learned that there is an art to submitting. Writers need to take the time to learn:

• how to research places (publishers, journals, online magazines) to submit
• where to find their guidelines and follow them
• how to write a tantalizing query letter and a powerful synopsis
• how to create a tracking system to track your submissions

Yes, your writing needs to be ready, but don’t let fear hold you back. As soon as you can, start submitting. The easiest place to start is with guest posts and short stories (if you like writing them).

There is a lot of great advice in writer’s magazines (Writer’s Digest and The Writer) about writing queries and synopsis, as well as plenty of online help, so there’s no excuse for not getting up to speed on these items!

T: Take the Time You Need

Many writers are feeling hurried today. Like they need to rush through a book to publish it, then rush through the next one to add to their published list.

There’s a reason writers are feeling this pressure. Prolific, frequently published writers often do well on the market. Surveys show that the more published books a writer has available, the more money they’re likely to make.

So writers may understandably feel they need to step up the pace to “succeed.”

The thing is, you can’t really choose your writing process. You write as you write, and it’s always best to put the highest quality work out there that you can. If you need more time, take it. You’ll never regret writing the best story you can write. But you may regret hurrying through something and then getting a bad review (or two) because you cut corners.

U: Use Tools that Will Help You

Your computer. Phone. Laptop. Standing desk. Writing software. Writing books.

These and other tools can be critical to your success. If you’re serious about writing, don’t neglect to set up a writing nook that is conducive to your productivity and creativity. Get the tools you need to do your best work. Support yourself!

V: Develop Your Writer’s Voice

What is a writer’s “voice?”

It’s confusing to talk about, but you’ll know it when you find it. It’s not a genre. A writer can write in multiple genres and still have a voice that stands out to readers. It’s not tone, as one writer can write a sad or happy story and still have a voice that comes through.

Your voice is your uniqueness on the page. It’s the choices you make, your writing rhythm, and the way you sketch a character.

It took me multiple novel-length manuscripts to develop my writer’s voice, which I now feel that I’ve found. Enjoy the process of discovering yours. The more you start and finish stories, the closer you’ll be to finding it.

Helpful Tips for Writers W: Who You Know Matters

I don’t mean that you have to know celebrities to make it as a writer.

I mean that your connections matter in your writing life. Fellow writers. Editors you work with. People you write guest posts for. Podcast hosts. Agents. Publishers. Mentors. Blog tour hosts.

Your connections can help you become a better writer and market your work. The more connections you make in the writing world, the more likely you will be to reach your goals.

So reach out. Make it a habit to meet someone new in the writing world at least once a month.

X: eXpect Little

As a writer, you’re much better off expecting little from your efforts and being pleasantly surprised than expecting too much and being disappointed.

Your job is to write. That’s all. It’s not to sell a zillion copies or become a bestselling author celebrity. The more you expect that your writing efforts will bring you fame and fortune, the more likely you’ll be greatly disappointed, which will affect your motivation to write and slow down your progress.

Instead, devote yourself to the work of writing without feeling entitled to the rewards of that work. If the rewards come, you can enjoy them. But if they don’t, you will have still done your job.

Y: Take Care of Yourself

You are the writer. If something happens to you, your stories will go untold.

The writing life is taxing. Don’t neglect yourself. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and find ways to relieve stress.

It’s easy to neglect self-care when the writing work piles up. Try to stick to a daily routine that takes your physical, mental, and emotional health into account. You’ll be more likely to thrive in the writing life if you get used to taking care of yourself.

Z: Nourish Your Zeal for Writing

Zeal is defined as fervent or enthusiastic devotion, often extreme or fanatical in nature, as to a religious movement, political cause, ideal, or aspiration.

You have a zeal for writing. What’s important is to nourish that zeal. Do things that inspire you. Learn more about it. Try new things. Seek out other writers to share your journey with.

Just because you’re passionate about writing now doesn’t mean you always will be. Over the years, that passion can wane if you’re not careful. Treat it like a favorite plant that you want to bloom every year. Give it what it needs, and it will continue to delight you with new growth.

What are your favorite writing tips?