He will soon begin to write a novel.
写小说是有意志的。

She began to like novels at twenty.
爱好小说本身是没意志的。若该动词是属于被动语态的，也多用不定式，不怎么用动名词。

I shall begin this book today.
我今天将开始看这本书。

I shall begin with this book today.
我今天将先看这本书，有后看别的书的意思。

The journey begins from Shanghai.
句中的from最好换成其他介词如at。

The journey begins from Shanghai to Beijing.
这句是完全错误的。

The book began to be read (by him) last Sunday.

The book was begun (by him) to be read last Sunday.
这句话虽语法上无误，却不符习惯，因实际上begin to ...的结构是不能作被动语态的。

It began to rain at three o'clock.
雨是在三点的时候开始下的。

I felt I did not begin to understand him.
我觉得自己一点也不了解他。

Your suggestion does not begin to meet the difficulty.
你的建议一点解决不了这个困难。

Nothing has begun to interest her so much as folk music.
没有什么东西曾经像民间音乐一样引起她的兴趣。

I began/started teaching when I was 24.
我24岁时，开始教书。

We will begin the meeting with a message from the President.
It's starting to rain.

The show begins next week.
表演下周开始。