Writing is a great hobby and has kept me awake through most of my calculus teacher's most boring lectures.
starting (at least for me) is the hardest part of writing. I suggest that one writes down most of the ideas she/he has in their head on paper or in a word document and pick the best one to start with.
step one: did you think your story all the way through? most people skip this step because they think they can just pop off 300 pages off the top of their head. I suggest writing a summary or outline because it will help you think ahead and plan easily as well as keep your ideas and thoughts organized.
step two: are your characters fully developed? most people do the same thing with this step, they think they can make up a back story off the top of their head, but I strongly suggest making character charts in excel or word including multiple pages of things: for example, make the first sheet say who they are, with full name and namesake. include things on different pages not as relevant, ie. likes/dislikes, parent/sibling personalities, psychiatric history(kidding), etc..
step two-and-a-half: build your world this is a side step for fiction writers, read below for what applies:
fantasy: fantasy books (most of the time) are not in our own world (if it is skip down to fiction/sci-fi). building a world can be difficult, if you are a visual learner, you should draw a map of the world your character will live in, if not, get someone else to draw it for you. here are some reflecting questions: does your world have a well developed history? does your world have diverse cultures? what are the traditions of those cultures? what is the system of government? what is the people's voice (mode of communication/what they like)? do the inhabitants like the system of government in place? ask yourself these and private message me if there is any trouble.
sci-fi: take a print out of a map and draw where the characters go on their respective quests.
fiction (in our world): take the world and morph it how you like— have fun!—
step three: double check at this step, make sure you have all the recourses you need to make the story does your story have a begging, MIDDLE (a lot of people forget that one), and an ending? do all your characters have a character sheet (not necessary for minor characters, just write a short description of them and put it somewhere you'll find it), no plot holes left unchecked?
step four: use your time effectively this is annoying, your writing along and get writer's block, what do you do? you read step three dumb-a$%! you should have already been prepared for this kind of thing when you WENT THROUGHOUT YOUR STORY COMPLETELY, go through it again and fix any kinks. it is best to not do this, double check and start writing. give yourself some thinking time to go over your ideas and maybe sleep on it. if your story is not to your liking, fix it until it is. a story is not what makes you money, it's conveying your thoughts through paper and pencil, or in this case fingers and keyboard.
step five: begin writing
note: you may need a professional editor (or a classmate) to make changes and review your story
give your stories to other people for them to read and let them give feedback, DO NOT FEEL AS THOUGH YOU HAVE FAILED WHEN SOMEONE GIVES YOU NEGATIVE FEEDBACK—KEEP WORKING!!
