What I Learned: Writing Course for Authors (Lesson 1)
Apr 15
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Writing stories has never been a problem for me, but I realized that I want to write a great book that others will love as much as I do. I thought, "What do I need to know and understand about writing?" I went to the Reedsy platform and clicked on the learning section. I enrolled in the following topics and had my first lesson. Some things I did know, but others were completely new and eye-opening. So, I am sharing my notes from my first day along with some opinions of my own.
Writing Course for Authors:
Building an Author Blog
Novel Writing 101
Writing YA Novels
Writing Short Stories
Writing Dialogue for Plot and Character Development
Point of View
Turn Up The Heat in Romance
Show Don't Tell
Writing Poetry
Writing a Children's Book
Character Development
How to Plot a Novel
Writing Romance
Writing YA Novels that Sells
If you are interested in learning more about them and want to take the courses yourself, visit the Reedsy Learning Center.
Lesson 1: How to Build an Author Blog
A blog is an online business hub. Through blogging, you can:
Create engaging content
Grow Traffic
Build a loyal community
Convert followers into book buyers
A blog is the perfect space to experiment with your voice and ideas. Grow an audience that's ready when you're ready to publish.
Lesson 1: Novel Writing 101
Once you get published, know that nothing changes about the writing process. Nothing changes apart from the added pressure to deliver more and more stories after your first published book.
Therefore, write for the right reason. Not because you think writing will make you rich and famous. You will get tired quickly, and you will not be able to compete with other writers who write from the heart. The ones who are motivated because they love to write stories and worlds that others who do not have a passion for writing would never have thought of.
If you manage to complete a book, you will learn a lot about yourself. If you are thinking of becoming a writer and future author, ask yourself why you want to write. Identify your motivation. What do you hope to achieve from writing a book?
Lesson 1: Writing YA Novels
Rule #1: Get the words on the page. Make a commitment to write and finish your book. You can't publish what you haven't finished.
When writing YA Novels, think about the following: character development, voice, trends, craft, and writing about issues.
Lesson 1: Short Story
We all know what a short story is, but the more important question is: What should a short story be? What makes some better than others?
Short stories can help you land an agent and launch your writing career. They can also provide you with a decent amount of money. Short stories can help you become a better writer. How? Writing short stories teaches you to be focused and concise. It's a perfect way to practice writing because you only have to figure out the WHAT of the story and then HOW it is going to develop. Remember, you only have a certain length word count, so you cannot take too long in telling your story. Although it is a short story, you still need a beginning, middle, and end.
Short stories are a great way to learn where you spend too much time, what you repeat, and how to make the most of what you give the reader.
Lesson 1: Writing Dialogue for Plot & Character Development
Dialogue can help or sink a story. The best books give us exciting exchanges and authentic character voices.
Dialogue:
Helps each character be unique
Allows you to move the plot in different ways, not only through expository narration (telling the reader what is happening)
Great tool for showing, building, or resolving conflict between characters
Helps create tension & release
Think of dialogue as "eavesdropping".
Lesson 1: POV
POV helps establish the narration for your writing. Narration is the connection between the writer and the reader. There are many POV's. When choosing your POV for your story consider the following points:
Verisimilitude > First, Second or Third Person.
Immediacy > The intention of your story is to be urgent or more of a birds-eye view.
Meta-Narration > Think of this as breaking the 4th wall. If you are still confused, then I suggest watching Deadpool.
Sometimes, the protagonist is the same as the narrator, sometimes, the protagonist is different from the narrator, and other times, the narrator is a character (think of the TV series Gossip Girl).
Lesson 1: Turn Up The Heat
To make a Romance Spicy, it has to have the following:
Build-up
Setting
Sexual Tension
Flirting
Will they, won't they factor
Consequences of their actions (main characters, sometimes even secondary characters)
Steamy scenes need to be integral to the plot in order for them to work.
Types of Erotic writing:
Porn > These are all about sex; if there is a story is most likely secondary. There is little to no character development.
Erotica > These are all about sex. They have a structured plot, which is mostly about sex, high-quality writing, and a touch of existential angst.
Erotic romance> It's a romance, so therefore romance tropes are expected, as well as having strong characters and an engaging plot.
*Tip from best-selling author J. Armentrout: Only write what you’re comfortable with. If you’re not comfortable writing or reading intimate scenes, don’t feel pressured to include them. Want more advice from her, then read this blog.
Lesson 1: Show Don't Tell
Show don't tell (SDT) is about writing stories and characters through the use of:
Actions
Thoughts
Words
Sensory details
Don't tell the reader that the moon is shining. Instead, use descriptive language and imagery to show them. For example, Silver light spilled across the ground, casting long, delicate shadows through the trees.
SDT rule intends to pull readers into the narrative, allowing them to almost experience it firsthand. it makes them feel part of the story, like they are in it.
Storytelling should be a sensory experience:
Sight (See): colors, light, shadows, shapes, movement.
Sound (Hear): voices, music, background noise, silence.
Touch (Feel): texture, temperature, pressure, pain.
Taste: food, blood, smoke, bitterness, sweetness.
Smell: perfume, rain, rot, fresh bread.
Other senses that might not be as obvious that would certainly make your show don't tell much better is the use of the following "senses":
Proprioception: body swaying, falling, balancing
Interoception: heartbeat, hunger, nausea, shivering.
Emotional Perception: heightened awareness of the atmosphere or energy in a room.
Time and Spatial Awareness: claustrophobic, vast, timeless.
"His fingers brushed lightly over my thigh, slowly inching upward, creating little zaps of electricity, making me shiver all over."
The senses I used in this sentence were touch and interoception.
Let's break it down:
Touch (Feel):
"His fingers brushed lightly over my thigh" → soft physical contact
"slowly inching upward" → movement and anticipation
"creating little zaps of electricity" → a metaphorical way to show heightened sensation
"making me shiver all over" → full-body tactile reaction
Interoception:
"shiver all over" also taps into an internal, involuntary response to arousal or sensation
This sentence is a perfect example of showing, as it evokes touch, subtle movement, internal response, and even a little emotional and sexual tension.
Remember, SDT, encourages the reader to engage with the story as an active participant. Storytelling should be a sensory experience.
Lesson 1: Writing Poetry
Poetry is the language of being human. Where emotions and thoughts share the same space. It's an act of discovery rooted in curiosity and play.
Lesson 1: Children's Book
As a general rule, children's books are split into the following categories:
Picture book > under 5 years old
Early readers > 5-7
Middle Grade > 8-11
Teens > 12-13 years
Young Adult (YA) > 14+
If you want to write children's books, research the market. See what children and teens are buying.
Lesson 1: Character Development
Characters must endear themselves to readers. They must feel familiar and vibrant. They need to have personalities, quirks, and their own "voice".
If your readers don't hate your villain, that means that the stakes of your plot aren't as high. If they can't sympathize with your villain on any level, you have lost the humanization that makes the best villains great (were they always the villain, or did they become like that because of a past trauma).
Give your characters' motivations. Your characters need to be complex individuals for readers to be entertained and your plot to move forward into several pages.
Make the reader fall in love with your main characters; they will keep reading, and that's the goal. That's how characters guide the plot.
Lesson 1: How to Plot a Novel
Behind every good story, there is structure. Story structure is simply a blueprint (a guide), not the story itself (that you have to write, which takes a longer time).
A story structure maps the major sections or moments of conflict that give a story shape but keep the flexibility needed to write the story. Think of it this way: you know the beats that you have to hit, but how you get there is up to you.
The most used story structure is the three-act story.
ACT 1: BEGINNING
The Hook > where you bring your readers in. It has to be pretty good because this will determine if the audience will continue reading.
Inciting Incident
First Plot Point
ACT 2: Where you are raising the stakes, the drama.
Pre Midpoint Rising Action
Midpoint Rising Action
Post Midpoint Rising Action
ACT 3: END
Dark Night
Climactic Sequence
Resolution
Lesson 1: How to Write Romance
A strong romance novel needs good, strong bones. This means fully developed characters navigating a complex plot.
Unfortunately, there is no magic bestseller formula. That would be nice, wouldn't it?
The big question: What kind of Romance do you write? Romance is a big genre, so what specifically of Romance do you like? What types of books in Romance do you find yourself reading?
In my case, I found myself gravitating towards reading Romantic Comedies, Paranormal, and Erotic Romance stories. So, if someone were to ask me, "What kind of Romance do you write?" My answer would be, "I write Rom Coms, Paranormal Romance, and Erotic Romance."
All the ones that I just named are sub-genres of Romance. Choosing a sub-genre will help define the parameters of your story and serve you well when you're ready to pitch it.
Something of note: not all romance imprints publish all sub-genres of romance, so when looking to publish your novel, look out for the ones that publish the sub-genres you write.
Paranormal Romance stories, compared to Contemporary and Rom-coms, tend to be longer. Why? Because of the world-building and mixing of genres.
You are basically marrying the romance and supernatural plots into one story. And let's not forget that Paranormal Romance novels have the potential for doing a series. You have to keep in mind to add the romance arc and also the paranormal act. That is not an easy thing to do.
Lesson 1: How to Write YA Novels That Sell
YA novels are books featuring teen protagonists for readers aged 12 to 18. So, it would make sense that the target audience would be high school students, and that would be partially correct.
Who reads YA? Teens and Adults. Teens prefer print books, even though they are constantly on their phones and iPad, but for some reason, the market has seen an increase in print books from teens.
When reading YA, teens want authenticity. They want to relate to the plot and to the characters.
If you choose this route, my advice is to work hard, write well, and be aware of market trends.
Before you leave, don't forget that you can find these FREE writing courses for authors on Reedsy Learning.
