I read in one of the author-forums the statement:
“I really want to write, I just don’t know how to start.”
Let me be blunt: Someone is holding you back – and that someone is you! It is the same with my students, when they start designing, writing, painting etc. They evaluate while trying to be creative.
Never do that!
Do not evaluate while writing!
Instead do the following thing:
1. Open Word (or any other writing tool)!
2. Save the file under any name you like, e.g. “MyStoryXYZ” (Now, the empty white page is staring at you).
3. Type “Title (Work in Progress)” AND format it as a title and hit enter (back to the normal font).
4. Type “The beginning is always the hardest …”
==> You see, you have started already. The first sentence ist these and you are not staring at an empty page anymore!
Save that file as a template and you never have an empty file anymore.
But wait, you might say – this isn’t the sentence I wanted to write. I wanted to write about a young man, who tries to get away from a bullying stepfather, you say? (Feel free to enter any other topic you are interested in).
Fine, then let one character say that!
Have a look at the following image, which is from my novel “Kyle – Im Kreis des Feuers” (2014;). Even if you can’t read German (don’t worry, the novel is currently in the translation process and will be available in summer 2020). What is black is an earlier draft, the red text is my constant rewriting.
And remember: Do not edit while writing! Once you let your personal writing-demon compromise your creativity it’s over and you have to get into the mood again.
No one cares if it is good or bad writing – because only you read it now. And there is plenty of time to polish it later.
Just write…
The Narrative Designer's Workshop 