We’ve all been there, we have a good idea, a new blank doc, but we just can't seem to start. Everything looks wrong or bad and nothing makes sense. We’re here to help!
Speaking from experience, I know it’s hard to start a completely brand new book and personally, I hate having a blank document to work off. Below are some tips to help you start writing and to get you back into writing as well!
Words, words…words?
A lot of people when they write have a word goal in mind or they have a limit in mind, either way, the amount of words is a worrying thought to many writers. However, the best way is to disregard the word count. Start writing and don’t edit your ideas as they come, edit them after your creativity has gone. Write however much feels right, then, go back and edit it, if it’s too long cut some words, if it’s too short, you can dd some. But editing whilst you’re still writing will disjoint your process and potentially stop ideas coming that you never want.
Starting? Eek…
Like I said before, it can be hard to start writing a completely new story, if it helps, write down what you want to happen in the first chapter or write down some details about the characters, then, start writing underneath that. Once you have an idea of the world and the people in it, it will often be easier to write about it. And by having some extra information at the top of your document, it is no longer a blank document and should (hopefully!) be easier to start writing your story.
Procrastinating??
Everyone procrastinates at some point. But, I always remember this: just write your story one sentence at a time. You don’t have to write it in three months or even six, but try to write something small each day, even if it is an idea you jot down or a small sentence, everything counts toward your story so make sure you don’t miss a single idea. The chances are once you have an idea for a story, you will lose it quite quickly because you’ll think of something else so make sure to write it down!
Characters? Mine all sound the same!
Making characters is one of my personal past times. A pro tip is to go onto Pinterest and look at name ideas, once you have a name, choose a photo or design what you want them to look like. Once you’ve done that, try writing a scene with them in it, or write a bit about their backstory. Form them to what you want them to be like. If you have same character syndrome make sure that you aren’t doing typical characters such as Mary Sues, or flat characters. You want characters that have something to say about the world they live in. Make them exciting; something new; something that only you could think of. If you’re stuck for ideas on names or on looks, check out our Pinterest page for a few oc makers we have: @Fantastic_Fantasy
That’s all for this post but if we missed anything please let us know via email or the comments below and we’ll try and help wherever we can!
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