The lovely Shelby over at The Writing Pal invited me to share my advice for how to start writing.

At first, I stumbled over the simplicity of the question — I was tempted to respond, “Obviously, you just start.”

But there’s no “just” to it, is there, writers? Because there are a lot of days I never start. And as I thought about why, I realized there are innumerable reasons:

• You don’t know where to begin
• You don’t know how to begin
• You’re not sure what to write
• You don’t feel like writing because you’re ill, exhausted, or life is happening
• The task of writing seems overwhelmingly immense
• The task of writing seems insignificant and stupid
• You’re afraid to fail
• You’re afraid to succeed
• You’re pretty sure you’re the worst person who has ever written (or not written) a word, ever
• Etc.

I wanted to give you the impetus to write, no matter which of these bullet points applies to you.

So I broke down the physicality of the act of writing for a simple follow-along that will get you writing, even if your brain and heart aren’t in to it:

Sarah Werner from Write Now:

Locate paper and a pen/pencil. (This may sound facetious, but I’m completely serious.) Press the tip of the pen/pencil to the paper, and marvel at the mark it makes.

 

That mark is how every single story ever written begins. That mark is the genesis of your thought.

 

Now think back to your story idea and, with that in mind, extend the mark into a word. It can be any word you like — but if you’re stuck, I suggest “Certain,” “She”, or “Once”.

 

Now, what comes after that word? Look back to your idea again — to the thing that prompted you to want to tell a story in the first place. How can that mark — that word — blossom into a sentence that begins to give flesh to that idea?

 

If you’re not sure yet, that’s okay. Press your pen/pencil to the paper and simply make another word. Feel the soft scratch of your writing implement against the paper. Let your eyes absorb the mark of the graphite or the ink. You are in the midst of creating something. Isn’t the possibility delicious?

 

If you write a word you don’t care for, it’s OK! Just cross it out. You’re creating, and creating is messy. Just be sure to replace it with a new word. And another after that.

 

Writing is simultaneously the most simple and most difficult thing in the world. It’s a complete paradox. But you’re going to embrace it, because you have a story to tell, mark by mark.

Other contributors include (for a nice round dozen) include Kristen Kieffer from Well-Storied, Maddy from The Writing Resource, and Jade Young from The Educated Writer. There’s lots of great advice here, and it may be a good idea to bookmark the link for later reference. 🙂

Read the full article here:

https://www.thewritingpal.com/2017/12/26/what-writers-think-about-how-to-start-writing/

How do YOU start writing when it feels impossible?