# how do you start?



## pete_wf (Jun 14, 2010)

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


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## Non Serviam (Jun 14, 2010)

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.)


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## Like a Fox (Jun 14, 2010)

Non Serviam said:


> 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.


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## caelum (Jun 14, 2010)

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.


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## Christopher Brian Gibbon (Jun 14, 2010)

Non Serviam said:


> 1) Switch off telephone and television
> 2) Make a cup of tea
> 3) Switch on computer
> 4) Fire up word processor program
> ...



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!


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## garza (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## Like a Fox (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## garza (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## JosephB (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## Like a Fox (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## JosephB (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## Sam (Jun 15, 2010)

JosephB said:


> 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.


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## Killer Croc (Jun 15, 2010)

Sam W said:


> 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!


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## Linton Robinson (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jun 15, 2010)

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.


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## JosephB (Jun 15, 2010)

Off topic:

Really, Notepad isn't very good for writing code, compared to a code editing application. It doesn't show you the line number, which is pretty important if you're debugging or working with other programmers, or if you're just keeping track of revisions etc. You can't collapse tags or sections or import snippets, easily add comments etc.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jun 15, 2010)

JosephB said:


> Off topic:
> 
> Really, Notepad isn't very good for writing code, compared to a code editing application. It doesn't show you the line number, which is pretty important if you're debugging or working with other programmers, or if you're just keeping track of revisions etc. You can't collapse tags or sections or import snippets, easily add comments etc.



I use notepad for several different coding languages, myself, so it works better than trying to write html in my python editing application.


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## JosephB (Jun 15, 2010)

Well, all right. I don't know why anyone would want to use a code editor that didn't have all those features. Anyway, I mainly use the code view in Dreamweaver, which has all of that. But I rarely write anything from scratch. When it comes to programming, I'm mostly editing scripts that exist or that others have written for me. Otherwise, I'm just streamlining  Dreamweaver HTML. I wouldn't touch a line of code if I didn't have to.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jun 15, 2010)

JosephB said:


> Well, all right. I don't know why anyone would want to use a code editor that didn't have all those features. Anyway, I mainly use the code view in Dreamweaver, which has all of that. But I rarely write anything from scratch. When it comes to programming, I'm mostly editing scripts that exist or that others have written for me. Otherwise, I'm just streamlining Dreamweaver HTML. I wouldn't touch a line of code if I didn't have to.


 

You're no fun at all. I write all my code from scratch. There's nothing better than puttering around in a few thousand lines of functions and objects and variables. :salut:


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## JosephB (Jun 15, 2010)

Sorry off topic again:

You can have it. I'm a designer, so I like to spend my time designing and developing content, not writing code. I hire nerds to do all that.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jun 15, 2010)

JosephB said:


> Sorry off topic again:
> 
> You can have it. I'm a designer, so I like to spend my time designing and developing content, not writing code. I hire nerds to do all that.


 
Content, content; content is king. But it's also boring.


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## caelum (Jun 15, 2010)

Some have said that they build their story brick by brick as they go, but just to voice the other side here, I don't always do it like that.  Usually I have a pretty good idea of the plot and all the major turns before I start, and then the writing process for me is getting from one imagined point to the next.  It's like I'm in a sea going from shining beacon to shining beacon, trying to find a way to bridge the scenes.  There are usually elements that I very badly want to include, so I  find a way to put them in (hopefully in a way that is seamless and doesn't smack of just copy-pasting them into the story, I'm talking to you person who wrote Name of the Wind cramming all your Dragon foreshadows into the most incongruous of places).


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## Olly Buckle (Jun 15, 2010)

> i have a ton in my head, just having a rough time expressing it.


I think some of you have a misconception, the op's problem is not with what to write but how.
 I write it out as best I can and then I look at it and think "It's all dialogue" or "That sounds simply too flowery and twee for words" or some such thing, then I add to it and rewrite bits of it and try to express it in normal language without sounding like a policeman telling a court what happened. Then I leave it for a bit, come back, and think "How did I think that was all right?" I write it all over again, but differently. I keep on doing this, and somehow, at the end of it, there is something quite different from the thing I started out with. The key is to put something down, not a plan or an outline, but a bit of writing. I don't even always start at the beginning if it is not the bit I am surest of, but once there is something, no matter how rough, other things begin to fit round it and I can see how to smooth it out. If there is nothing there are no signposts to follow.


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## Reese (Jun 16, 2010)

Ask yourself why you are writing in the first place. Why did you decide to sit and write anything at all? That inkling should be why you write. If you start there, and keep asking yourself "why am I writing?" along the way, you'll find you have something to be proud of.

Outlines are good, but if you don't facilitate an appreciate of why you want to write, then it becomes more of a task than anything else.


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## thewordsmith (Jun 17, 2010)

caelum said:


> 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.


 
Whoa! That's pretty harsh! I'm not sure Non Serviam's words indicate he just wants to see his words in print, or that the thrill is in the chase, as it were. Andrew Greeley once wrote a mediocre book with a great concept... "The God Machine". It was about a writer ergo, the God machine was his computer wherein he created entire worlds. That made him a god of his creations. Sometimes, it's not about fame and fortune. Sometimes, it's just about the accomplishment.

Now, as for Pete's Post: The process is essentially different for everyone. My impression, just based on your opening post, is that you are more interested in the process than the creation. 



> 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.


 
All of these things may well be just what you need to make your story come alive... then again, it may just be a means to avoid the writing. A wise old sage of my acquaintance once said, "Some men like to be known as builders of bridges. Others build bridges." Which is to say, some want the reputation (a la caelum's spin) and others just do it because ... well, they just do it. So the question, then, becomes, do you want to call yourself a writer, or do you want to be one? If you answered the latter, then stop procrastinating, settle your asterisk in the chair and start writing. Are you ADHD? You seem to have a habit of hyperfocusing and yet scattering your focus in all directions. Typical behavior pattern of an ADHD person. 

If you are "just having a rough time expressing it", you either need to get a better grasp on your characters and/or storyline or look into what you're _really_ looking for.


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## Linton Robinson (Jun 17, 2010)

How do you start?
What being problem.
You start with letter y.
Take look


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## JosephB (Jun 18, 2010)

-- Sit down at computer
-- Scratch head
-- Get up, go to refrigerator, look inside, get nothing out of it
-- Sit back down
-- Check phone messages
-- log on to WF, screw around a while
-- pet dog
-- turn on TV, go through all channels, turn off TV
-- get up again, go to kitchen, pour coffee
-- sit down at computer
-- check email
-- write for a few minutes
-- get up and stretch a bit
-- repeat the above


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## darknite_johanne (Jun 18, 2010)

I need a lot of distractions, I read a chapter from a book i'm reading. I watch a movie (or a clip)of what I'm trying to write. I sit and wonder. sometimes i draw a scene. then I write whatever scene comes to my head. If I find myself a bit blocked, I play a video game for a few minutes (sometimes an hour) then an idea will usually come into my head. then I'll stop whatever the heck I'm playing and write, at half past midnight until three am, the ideas usually flow and I find myself writing than like a mad dog. Then the process repeats itself the next day.


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## woodpanel (Jun 18, 2010)

I have the worst time getting started too! What I find helps me personally is surrounding myself with writing - I read other stories or novels (like Killer Croc, I do this to get me inspired to write in general) and read over my Word doc containing all the phrases and ideas that pop into my head. I find that if I start cold by sitting down and opening Word, I quickly think, "Oh I have to research" and end up on Wikipedia forever.

If you're a visual learner, by all means do a storyboard! Then, like many others have said, just start writing - anything - and don't worry about how it sounds until later.


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## darknite_johanne (Jun 18, 2010)

I think most beginning writers are master procrastinators because there's this inherent fear that they won't produce something good enough. Just begin is usually a cure for that.


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## Reese (Jun 18, 2010)

lin said:


> How do you start?
> What being problem.
> You start with letter y.
> Take look


'

GJ lin. I'll be sure to quote you in a future book.

"I think most beginning writers are master procrastinators because there's this inherent fear that they won't produce something good enough."

Good call.


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## The Backward OX (Jun 19, 2010)

What's a visual learner?


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## Killer Croc (Jun 19, 2010)

The Backward OX said:


> What's a visual learner?


 
Take math for example.  Some people will read a lesson and understand it easily by reading it or listening to the teacher, others will do better by looking at diagrams and pictures.  The one that learns or remembers best with visual pictures is a "visual learner."


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jun 19, 2010)

The Backward OX said:


> What's a visual learner?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_systems_(NLP)


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## JosephB (Jun 19, 2010)

darknite_johanne said:


> I think most beginning writers are master procrastinators because there's this inherent fear that they won't produce something good enough. Just begin is usually a cure for that.


 
People often associate procrastination with laziness, and that's usually not true. Some people are so overwhelmed by multiple tasks, that they do nothing -- or, as you're saying, they put things off because they imagine negative outcomes, or it's some combination of those things. But a lot of procrastination is fear-based.


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## SpunGlass (Jul 12, 2010)

Pete,
I share your issue with starting the story/novel etc.  What I've found useful is making an outline, including building my characters in a notepad (Yes, with a real pen and paper!).  Once I have this set, I'll scribble a few ideas about where I want the writing to go.  I've found starting with a major event, even if it's not the first chapter, helps me to get rolling.  Once I have that major event on paper, I can work backwards to build the beginning, and then move ahead to form the ending.  It may sound silly, but when I can organize my ideas for the middle of my project, I find it much easier to build around that than stare at the "blank page"...


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## J.E. Blackworth (Jul 14, 2010)

I put on some piano music composed by either Sibelius or Chopin, then turn on the Q10 writing programme, and when I hear the beautiful sound of the vintage typewriter keypad... It just flows. I used to close the door of my room and turn off my cell phone some weeks ago, but I don't do it anymore. The distractions somehow help me if the scene I am writing isn't especially intense. If it is, I need complete silence. The piano music is an equivalent to silence for me. It's soothing and inspiring. Just like the noises of a typewriter. I really need to purchase a real one...

Sometimes I have a cup of rose hip tea. No other tea will do.


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## rachelthorn (Jul 17, 2010)

I have to make a basic outline of my novel or I would go mad. I am ADD so I know what it is like to jump from one thing to another. I write out my characters' descriptions and then a basic summary of what each chapter is going to be about before I can write. It helps me stay on track so I don't jump all over the place in the novel. 

Some people don't need organization and can get on the computer and type away. I cant do that. Also I have to schedule time to start writing due to running a business out of my home and having two small children in the house I can't just still down and write whenever I want to.


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## RM Americano (Jul 20, 2010)

I clear my schedule completely when I want to write.  If I can't get started, I drink and read until I'm ready.  I also carry a notebook and a Mont Blanc around with me so I can write anywhere if I am so inspired.  The computer isn't always the best place to start writing.


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## Xhale (Jul 23, 2010)

John August, a successful screenwriter, hates writing. You may have seen one of his more successful movies called "Big Fish". On his blog he brings up this discussion alot. Garza many writers do not like the process of writing. Too each his own.


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## Jimi Orgal (Aug 4, 2010)

Go to the second tab (tab with pagenumbers). Click on page numbers.  Click on the icon with the little hand (sorry, I don't have English  settings). You get a window and at the bottom you can see: "Begin  at...". Type a number you desire.


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## TestDummy (Aug 4, 2010)

darknite_johanne said:


> I think most beginning writers are master procrastinators because there's this inherent fear that they won't produce something good enough. Just begin is usually a cure for that.


 
Douglass Adams, one of the best sci-fi writers of the modern era, was a massive procsastinator. He said think about deadlines: "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." One of my favorite quotes.


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## The Backward OX (Aug 4, 2010)

Sam W said:


> 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.


Sam, this sounds like you write Chapter One first, Chapter Two second, and so on. Not all stories are that easy to construct.


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## TestDummy (Aug 4, 2010)

Jimi Orgal said:


> Go to the second tab (tab with pagenumbers). Click on page numbers.  Click on the icon with the little hand (sorry, I don't have English  settings). You get a window and at the bottom you can see: "Begin  at...". Type a number you desire.


 
I think you're taking this a little too literally.


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## Sam (Aug 4, 2010)

The Backward OX said:


> Sam, this sounds like you write Chapter One first, Chapter Two second, and so on. Not all stories are that easy to construct.



Well, it's a lot easier for me to write the book chronologically. If I start writing chapter fifty-two when I'm only on chapter ten, that's gonna get confusing real fast. I've never wrote a novel any other way. I like to make things as easy as possible for myself.


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## mwd (Aug 5, 2010)

Duct tape yourself to your chair.  Don't remove it until you've written something, however long that takes.  There, you started.  Good job.

Not trying to be flippant.  But I don't feel like anyone can really decide what's right for them (outlining, seat of the pants, writing scenes in/out of order, etc.) until they've tried it.  You ask people how to write and you'll get a different answer from everyone.  So, go ahead and just start.  It sucks but you have no other choice.

"Planning to write is not writing. Outlining,  researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is  writing. Writing is writing." - E.L. Doctorow

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can  only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that  way." - E.L. Doctorowhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eldoctor117083.html


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## subtlesoda (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree with mwd, but to add to the bulk of this thread, here's my advice:

-Relax. Really relax. Like, about to crap your pants because you're so relaxed relax. 
-Stare at that blank page. Paper or computer or typewriter or whatever.
-Write out the first damn thing that comes to your head. I mean the very first thing. 

'Sparrows were shitting on my roof.'

Good start! There is a story behind that. Even if it's not the one you intended to write. You don't even have to keep that first line. Or the first paragraph. Or any of it.

Just write. Even if it's not the correct genre for you, even if you think it's trashy, even if you hate the end product. Because somewhere deep in there, something will spark, you may like something, you may get other ideas. 

As for the rest of the process? Lots of snacks. Eat lots of snacks, because I think the creative part of our brain is directly linked to snacks.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Aug 6, 2010)

Chocolate is the number one fuel of creativity, soda; but snacks in general are also goood. 

And of course relaxing helps, as well.  Nothing is more likely to turn off the creative part of your brain than too much stress... except maybe a chainsaw--or a nuke.  But I'm getting off topic.


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## The Backward OX (Aug 6, 2010)

Ilasir Maroa said:


> And of course relaxing helps, as well.


Speak for yourself. I'm so relaxed I keep falling asleep at the keybbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Eh? Wha..? Wha happen? Where am I?


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## RHSexton (Nov 18, 2010)

pete_wf said:


> 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


 
There are as many ways to start as there are words in the world (living and dead). You know you have an idea or you wouldn't be here. My suggestion: write a description of the idea you already have. Start small, a paragraph or two. Don't worry about grammar, spelling, POV, or anything else that others are concerned with. That'll either take care of itself later or you'll figure it out as you go. Once you have that description, break it down, ask yourself questions about who, why, when, and how. Take notes not only on those questions, but the answers too. Keep it all simple. It'll be more flexible that way. Keep building on what you have, asking more questions, finding out more about the story and those involved in it.

Of course, what I'm suggesting here is only one way. It doesn't involve specifics or time tables or what program to use on a computer (if any). You're writing. That's all. Keep it simple and the story will come out.


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