How I start writing. Everything before your 1st draft begins.

A writer’s worst fear is a blank white page in a notebook. No words, no outline, just you and the paper and whatever loose ideas you have floating around in your head. Things get easier after writing a few pages, paragraphs, or sentences. Getting there can be tough.

My writing was impeded by this, despite having plenty of ideas and prompts. I didn’t realize that was the first step in writing. When I pushed myself to put these thoughts to paper, to flesh them out and create a story, that blank white paper became far less daunting.

I’ll discuss my writing process in this blog. This blog will focus on universal concepts rather than topics like prose, style, and genre. Starting without deadlines is crucial in the post-school world.

By sharing my knowledge, I hope to assist those who feel the same way I did after college or those hesitant to write a book.

Step 1. Get away from that blank space.

Persistence might be a virtue, but here it won’t help you here. If that blank white space with a flashing keystroke or empty journal is too intimidating, then perhaps you’re attempting to start at the halfway point rather than the actual beginning.

So, step away from the computer. Get up from your desk. Take a walk, do chores, wash dishes. Perform actions that allow you to think simultaneously. It can even involve going to work. Let your mind wander.

Some have already done this, inspiring the story idea. That’s great, now just spend some time refining it. Imagine the details and characters, but write nothing yet.

It’s fine if you’re not that far. Coming up with ideas can be difficult. While in that monotonous but thoughtful state, try a few basic exercises. A favorite of mine is the “What If” thought experiment, which I still do. What if one key element in the world was altered? They could be now, a decade ago, or a century ago. What would the world look like today? What interesting event is worth recording?

Regardless of having an idea now, or still needing to develop one, I would suggest having an active section of notes on your phone. Short, 2 sentence descriptions of a random idea that came across your mind. Record your best ideas to avoid forgetting them later.

Remember, it’s far better to have an idea before you write than during. Though it may seem obvious, it was a lifesaver for me on how to come up with them.

Step II. Try a Yellow Space instead of White first.

Are we ready to return to the blank space? Not exactly. This is what I would consider an optional step, but for me, it’s a vital one for anything longer than a short story.

Use something other than a regular notebook. A notepad, or writing pad, whatever you might call it. A yellow notepad with tear-away pages. We all know the cliche, someone working on an important project, crumping up failed ideas and throwing them away before starting again. That’s not what we’ll be doing, but it’s the same principle.

You’re going to take your idea, the two sentences you saved on it, and put that at the top of the page. Then, you’re going to perform what can be called word throw-up. You’re going to take every aspect of your idea, breaking them down into two sentence ideas to explain them, and start filling up your notepad page.

No shame or obligation to keep or use any of it. Instead, you should just throw out everything and anything your mind has been circulating about this idea that you have. That can be themes, plot points, characters, writing style, genre, anything and everything and in any form. I preferred quick bullet points, but I’ve also put tables in my own notes.

You’re going to empty everything from your mind onto this page. Good ideas, bad ideas, potential directions and offshoots. If you’ve thought a lot about it, it may feel like pouring out a cup that’s also being filled. This act of writing will generate new ideas faster than you can get them out.

The purpose of this is simple. When you feel you have put everything you could onto this page, you’re going to sift through and find what’s important. Star, circle, underline, whatever is needed to give emphasis to something. You should merge these ideas for coherence.

When you feel you’ve got the start of something, you’ll begin the process again, but this time more refined. Like taking all your ideas and washing them through a strainer. Keep it general and vague.. Avoid moving straight into an outline as your vision for the book is likely to change the more and more you strain your ideas.

Your idea will be polished after this second step. This doesn’t mean that it’s beyond changing, and at any point, there could be massive changes made at any point. Don’t fight them. Don’t hesitate to start over if it enhances your story. It’s better to do it now than later.

Step 3. Back to the Blank Space

Now you can return to your journal. I’m sure that feeling of anxiety has shrunk down, though it’s never gone. Don’t rush in yet. You need to work on refining your idea and adding direction and reference to it. To outline.

What I do from here, though, is you’re free to complete this next step as you wish. I like bullet points. If it is a short story, I’ll start at the beginning and attempt to write a series of bullet points from beginning to end. Once I’ve refined my idea and know what I want to communicate, I allow my ideas to flow. I explore side streets now, where I never thought to go before.

For longer pieces, it might be best to create a more general outline. Create a story structure, chapters, summaries, things like that. You have the opportunity to get the flow down.

Regardless, keep bullet points short and avoid long descriptions. Have a basic note of surroundings, but focus more on the characters. What are they doing, what are they talking about, what’s important around them and happening to them? Metaphors and descriptions come later, build the foundation first.

The bullet points should include events and conversations that make the chapter or story readable. You can be detailed like me or keep it brief.

The outline is an important step. My 1st draft grows from the outline. It’s a roadmap, a series of destinations that I need to connect from one to the next and expand upon to get across my point. View it as planning a road trip. You’re aware of your location and goals. Now plan the intermediate stops.

Step 4. Not a blank space any longer.

Now it’s time to begin the 1st draft. It’s no longer bullet points or spewing ideas, but a real narrative that needs to be constructed. But, it’s not the first words you’ve written about it.

In reality, these steps can prove as necessary or unnecessary as you deem them. Their function is to provide a writing gap between my first thought and the first line. It’s a buffer, an area to build up the momentum. You’ve already been writing this whole time, so should no longer feel the anxiety. All you’re doing is continuing from what you’ve already done.

Like I said earlier in the blog, you’re at the halfway point when you first put pen to paper for that 1st draft.

This is how I begin a project. What comes before I start is important as what comes after. Perhaps that’s not your situation, or maybe, like me, that empty space has paralyzed you. I hope that going through my process might help you, or at least provide some kind of guidance and advice. Know that once you start, you’ll build that momentum and it will get easier the more pages you write.

You just need to do the other half now. I’d say it’s the easier half, but that just wouldn’t be true. Good luck.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. This is my second blog post and I’m still getting the hang of things. More to come, at least 1 new blog a week!