In some ways, I’ve always been a writer. Before I knew my letters, I told stories to my mom, who wrote them down for me. I drew the pictures: jack’o’lanterns with curly vines, sleds in red and orange, sea creatures in the deep. But I didn’t write my first draft of a novel until I turned 29.

My writing has been a voyage: a slow-moving river at times, at others, like rushing rapids. There have been submerged rocks and shallow waters. It’s taken new skills to paddle around each of these obstacles. So below are the top five tips and tricks that I’ve learned about the writing journey.

1. Do The Hard Work Before Writing

If I could only share one message, it would be this: good writing is like an iceberg. You have to build underwater in order to create the mass that you actually see, the text (Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory).This means doing research. It means constructing an outline with your major plot points. And it means getting to know your characters.

Research/Worldbuilding

No matter what genre you’re writing in, you will likely have to do research. Whether you’re brushing up on history or learning fighting techniques for a fantasy novel, your book can be strengthened with the little details.

Construct An Outline

I highly recommend Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland to help create a well-built structure. At its heart, each story is a mystery. Every good story opens with a question that the character spends the rest of the book trying to solve.

Take Your Characters On A Date

You’ll want to get to know your characters. Take them on a first date, but don’t stop there. Go the full nine yards. Go on a second and third date, get engaged, throw a wedding and vow to stay together for life. You’ll want to know your characters inside and out. What are their hopes? Their fears? Their quirky take on relationships?

K.M. Weiland’s Creating Character Arcs covers how to create richly-layered, complex characters like this.

2. No Editing! At Least, At First

As a brand new author, I’ve faced many obstacles. The most challenging one? I’ll give you a hint: it’s about being open to the writing process.

All right. I’ll share. Hold off on editing until after you’ve gotten a full draft finished. Try to turn all your filters off as you write. The real, the ugly, the raw: all are an important part of the process. You’ll have plenty of time to shape your text once you’ve gotten the first draft out of the way.

3. Immerse Characters In All Five Senses

Honestly, I knew this before I started writing a novel. But as I sat down at my computer to write, I constantly had to remind myself of this tip. Let all five senses work in your favor.

Instead of saying: “Clara was as poor as a churchmouse,” try “Clara looked down at her rough homespun dress, her toes peeking out of worn-out sandals.” It gives the reader a hint into her background without treating them like they aren’t smart enough to figure it out.

Instead of saying: “Clara was hungry,” say “Clara’s stomach growled.”

And so on and so forth. Venture into touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell. Immerse yourself in a scene and your readers will fall into the world you’ve created.

4. Try To Write Clearly and Concisely

Readers dive into a good book and stay there if the prose is easy to read. As soon as something pulls a reader out of the narrative, the chances are high that they will put the book down and wander off. And you, dear writer, don’t want that.

An App that I’ve found to be incredibly useful is the Hemingway Editor. It flags adverbs, passive voice, and difficult sentence structure (all of which should be rare).

5. Beta Readers Can Help You

When I first started writing my novel, I had no idea that there was a community of writers who read other stories and offered feedback. But they exist. And they’re called beta readers. Often, they help with developmental edits. Find a community of beta readers that works for you. (Mine is a Facebook group, for example). Be open and willing to swap stories to support others, as well.

And that’s it, folks. I hope this helps new authors as they start navigating the writing world. It’s a beautiful and fierce place, that’s for certain.