How do you get started??!Argggh help!

DeadlyByDesign

I have an idea, for at least 3 years. A story building up in the back of my head that I have been wanting to get on to paper for god knows how long. This year I am finally going to try and do it. When I tried to do it Iliterally froze!

How does one do it? Do you have to go through a planning stage? Brain storm? Can you just let the words pour out onto the page?

Any advice would be great

pickarooney

Everyone has a different method but at some stage you just have to start writing and not stop. Personally, sitting down at the computer to start to write never worked for me. I would always get ideas, plot twists, phrases, characters randomly popping into my head and just scribble them down. When I did sit down at the PC, I transcribed about 10 scribbled pieces of paper and then it was a lot easier to continue writing.

Do you have the skeleton of the story built up? If so, commit to paper or electronic form in some way, be it a 500-word summary, a diagram or just words and lines and then start writing the first scene from it that comes to your head. It doesn't have to be good, in fact you'll most likely edit out 90% of what you initially write, but you can't edit until you put something down.

DeadlyByDesign

Thanks a million, at the moment I have the first scene literally poured on to a page in what look likes a brain storm. Makes no sense to look to the onlooker but I have an idea what I want it to be. Actually to the onlooker it probably would appear that I have something wrong with me as it is a psychological horror and not pleasant to read as it is !!

Thank's for the advice though

pickarooney

Don't be tempted to try rewrite that yet, just keep going with the next scenes and when you have 50,000 words start trying to reorganise it a bit.

EileenG

I generally have some sort of vague idea, and a long walk or cycle helps me solidify them. Then I sit down, and don't get up until I've written 1000 words. It doesn't matter if those words are rubbish, they have to go on the screen before I can stop.

Yes, sometimes they really are rubbish but it's surprising how often they turn out better than I was expecting. And if you have words on paper (or screen), you have something to edit. If you don't write, you can't rewrite.

This goes double if I've got a difficult scene, I'll look for all sorts of excuses not to write it. The only thing which works is just sitting down and writing.

Oh, I do nearly all my first draft writing in a coffee shop. If I try to write at home, I keep finding excuses not to do it, or to stop before I've done 1000 words.