Thread: how do you start?

i would love to know how you guys start your writing process. i'm having a hard time getting started. basically i tried writing everything in point form to make it easier, then i wrote out a short synopsis, and now thinking of making a drawing storyboard to make it easier for my visual learning brain. i have a ton in my head, just having a rough time expressing it.

share your wisdom, i wanna learn how you guys start your writing process

1) Switch off telephone and television
2) Make a cup of tea
3) Switch on computer
4) Fire up word processor program
5) Commence typing
6) Continue until 1,000-2,000 words have emerged
7) Save

Repeat process the next day

Getting started is difficult. I hate writing. (I write because I love having written.)

Originally Posted by Non Serviam

I hate writing. (I write because I love having written.)

I think I might also be from this camp.


I need to get the opening scene in my head. Maybe have a 'bit' that I'm looking forward to getting to, preferably not at the very start so then there's motivation to start at the beginning and at least get to the part you're looking forward to. At the best of times, it ends up being fun all the way there and beyond.

You vain people! Glory obsessed much. Likes the fruits of the craft but not the craft, sheesh. That's the forumula of a phony, you know.

Although I will admit, seeing a book with my name on it would be cool. If I ever see a book I've written at a bookstore, I'll probably just stand there and gawk at it with this loopy smile on my face.

But for the op, I say just sit there and force yourself to write and not get distracted. In time it will get easier. Many of my ideas hit me when I'm away from the keyboard doing something else, but I find sitting down and deliberately planning the story in my head not as productive as sitting at the keyboard. It is a little productive, though. I've honestly come up with some great stuff just sitting there thinking. It's better for the broader, more abstract elements I find.

Originally Posted by Non Serviam

1) Switch off telephone and television
2) Make a cup of tea
3) Switch on computer
4) Fire up word processor program
5) Commence typing
6) Continue until 1,000-2,000 words have emerged
7) Save

Repeat process the next day

Getting started is difficult. I hate writing. (I write because I love having written.)

Much like this only a few things different.

1) I don't really watch TV unless with someone else and I don't use the telephone very much.
2) Make a cup of coffee
3) Switch on computer
4) Fire up word processor
5) Commence typing
6) Continue typing until 1,000 - 2,000 words have emerged
7) Save

Repeat the processes the next.

And I also love love LOVE writing!

This will sound cruel, and I apologise ahead of time for that, but this is the truth as I see it.

If you must force yourself to write, then you should find something else to do. If you pick up a pencil and a pocket notebook and nothing comes immediately to mind that needs to be put on paper, then writing probably is not for you.

If you are a writer then it's knowing when to stop that will be the problem. The words should tumble out faster than you can get them onto paper or into the machine. A person who wants to be a writer but dosen't like to write is like the person who wants to be a doctor but hates being around sick people.

And try not using a word processor for your actual writing. Word processors can get in the way of the writing. If you are running a Windows machine then you have Notepad. It's the single most useful programme Microsoft has. It's like having a blank piece of paper in front of you with no distractions. If you are running Linux I recommend Vim, which is a variation of Vi that I like very much. Again, It's like having a blank piece of paper.

When you have finished a piece of work, that's the time to copy and paste into a word processor for formatting, spell check, and such. Save the text files. I have an archive of ASCII text files going back to the '70's and it takes up a relatively small space compared to what would be required by word processor files. Plus, as word processors evolve, one version often can't read what is done in another version, but ASCII files can be read by any machine running any platform. I can write an article on machine running Linux, save it as a text file, and load it directly into Word 2007 for formatting.

Both Notepad and Vim are also great for writing HTML code. There are none of the distractions of WYSIWYG software, and they train you to visualise the page just by looking at the code.

I think that's all very subjective, garza. I struggle to get words out, but I'll never stop taking life and trying to figure out how to put my experiences onto paper.

And from all the writers I've come across, everyone has their own way.

As I said, it's the truth as I see it, but of course you are right to say that everyone feels differently. It's just that I cannot remember a day since I first learned to read that I have not felt a compulsion not only to read but also to add my own thoughts.

The other thing is, Garza, you don't write fiction. Big difference.

And he's not necessarily forcing himself to write. He wants to write. He's looking for tips on how to best get the process started. Again, there's a difference.

And I'm 100% sure not everyone writes that way. I wish that were my problem and maybe in a few years once I've found my groove it will be. But for now it's not.

I've said this before too -- I believe everyone arrives at his own process, mostly by trail and error. I think folks ask for tips when they are struggling -- and I understand that -- but I don't think anyone can tell you how to do it. There's no formula or magic bullet. You'll either get it done or you won't.

Originally Posted by JosephB

The other thing is, Garza, you don't write fiction. Big difference.

Massive difference, in fact.

Sometimes, the ideas are there but you can't find the words to express them. Other times, the words are flowing but there's no substance to them, and you end up writing pages of drivel. Fiction-writing is a complicated animal. Outlines work for some, not for others. Routines likewise. It's as much a trial-and-error process as anything else. My suggestion would be, if this is your first novel, Pete, that you just write it. Don't worry about whether it's going to work, where it's going to go, or how it's going to end. Get the words down on paper so you have something tangible to work with. Enjoy the process. Don't worry about whether it reads like crap. Most people's first novels are never a true measure of their potential. I think someone famous once said, "You have to write a million words of crap before you get to the good stuff". Writing should be enjoyable. It shouldn't be a chore.

How do I start? With an idea for a first chapter. Then, I'll get an idea for the second, third, fourth, and so on. And it builds, brick by brick, block by block, until I have the bare bones of a story. Then it's time for Mr Red Pen.

Originally Posted by Sam W

Then it's time for Mr Red Pen.

Ah, yes, Mr. Red Pen is often put to a lot of work.

But I agree that fiction is really different than nonfiction--none of the stuff you're writing has ever happened, and you have to picture it in your mind as though it has. I think it can help to think of it like a movie: visualize the characters' movements and voices, and picture what's happening in your head. Sometimes you can bring a scene into detailed clarity in your mind, and you'll find it easy to put it on paper. Other times it isn't so easy.

Try to think of a first scene that you yourself would like and be interested in, one that would catch your attention. Sometimes reading a few pages of one of my favorite books before I start writing can really be inspirational to me. By "inspirational" I mean not so much in terms of the story as much as it inspires me to write. It gets me in the mood.

But as others are saying, each person has their own unique method that they will eventually grow comfortable with.

Good luck!

Like most successful authors, I start out with the sacrifice of a black animal (cat, cock, goat, gerbil, yappy little dog next door, etc) and the whole scattering of entrails/drinking of blood thing.

I'm not sure I should have mentioned that. It's supposed to be kind of a secret. Guys like Stephen King are sacrificing like race horses and cheerleaders from inner city high schools...you get what you pay for.

Garza, notepad is definitely great for html. I prefer to write in word, though, if I use a computer. I have to agree with those above that non-fiction and fiction are very different. Fiction writing can flow like that or not. Often not.


pete-- My process is very organic. Strictly getting started, I try to remove any inline distractions first. Then I run through my head where I am in the story if I've already started. Then I do a quick run-through of where I want to go. And then I go somewhere completely different after I start writing.

Starting is definitely the worse part. Once you have momentum, it's better. Once you're done, it's the best.