How To Start Writing Your Book: Getting Over The Initial Hump.
- Jerrica Black
- Nov 26
- 5 min read
I’ve seen this question a lot, all over Reddit writing subs, social media and even in my emails: How do I start writing? And, I'm sure you saw this coming, but there’s no easy answer here; if you want to write, you have to just write. But I realize that’s unhelpful, so I want to give you a little motivation and some actionable steps.
Everyone can write!
Everyone can write. That’s the truth. Now, can everyone write a flawless story the first time they sit down? No! Very few people, if any, can even write a flawless first draft after years of practice. That’s the trick, most of the writing process is editing and revising. So the first piece of advice I have is to just get some words on a page. We’re going to talk about ways to help with that, but this sentiment is key to start writing your novel, short story, memoir… you name it.
A perfect first draft doesn’t exist AND you can’t edit what isn’t written.
Before We Start Writing...
Before we get to any actual writing or skill building…I’d like you to consider what’s stopping you from writing.
Have a desire to write but have no ideas?
Got an idea, but you fear it’s “not good enough”?
Doubting that you have the skills to write?
Struggling to find the time or to initiate the task?
Feel like you don’t have a grasp of written language?
Tackling the underlying factors of why you’re having a hard time getting started, will have far more of an effect than any writing exercise or skill builder will.
Skills and Exercises
Just because we know the first draft won’t be perfect and everyone can write; it doesn’t mean that there aren’t skills you can learn to make your writing better whether during that first draft or the editing process. Reading is one of the best ways to do this and there are two main types of books you should consider: books about the craft and books in your genre.
My assumption is that you already considered books about the craft because that seems the obvious thing to read. For any other skill we go to reference and self-help, so why not writing too? But, I want to make sure you’re also using some critical thinking to specialize your talents.
It’s one thing to understand the broad strokes of good writing and all of the writing rules, but it’s a whole other thing to consider what you like in stories and what other readers like. That’s where books in and around your genre come in.
Keep reading for pleasure, but every now and then pick up a book for the purposes of analyzing it and the techniques used. Look for things you like and don’t like in the flow of the narrative and the writing itself. Keep in mind those things you’ve learned from reference books and see how other authors follow, bend and break the rules. Try emulating your favourite authors, or even copy out some of your favourite passages with an exercise called copywork. I’ll dive into this idea of close reading with writing and audience in mind in another post.
Putting Pen to Paper
I’m sure your patience is waning since we haven’t started truly writing yet. Fear not, here’s where we put pen to paper…
Start by writing something else. Even if you have an idea, you’re clearly not ready to write it; so write something else to build confidence in your writing. Experiment, find your style, try out different genres, voices, POVs. One of the best ways to do this in my opinion is with writing prompts and writing sprints. I just finished a challenge where I wrote 31 different (starts of) pieces in sprints ranging from 5 to 20 minutes and learned so much about myself as a writer.
Doing a simple google search for writing prompts is an easy way to find them, but of course I have some links for you below to cut out that extra work. Think about the pieces you write with these prompts as exercises; keep them low stakes. (Unless you write something and fall in love with it, then run with that idea!)
Writing sprints are a great way to lean into this low stakes experimentation. Choose a time, set a timer, and write. Don’t take the time to think, just let yourself start your story. No expectations. If it helps to body double/ co-work, check out this write-along video and subscribe for future lives and events!
Places to find Prompts
Pinterest board of writing prompts
Coming soon… Winter writing prompts
Starting Your Story
If you feel ready to dive into writing your own story now but are feeling overwhelmed, maybe you need to start by creating an outline. This will help organize your thoughts and provide a template for your story. There are loads of ways to make an outline, here’s a quick run-down of some outline options. You’ll want to consider story structure like your inciting incident, climax and resolution and other narrative elements like character and setting.
Perhaps an outline feels too structured for you (and let me say, outlines can start and stay an absolute mess if that’s what works for you) maybe starting with a brain-dump will be more approachable. I love this technique; it allows me to forgo organization (though I tend to organize later) and just get what's in my head on paper. For me this includes jot notes about characters, plot and setting as well as writing down all the questions I have yet to answer and everything I feel I may need to research.
Sometimes I have an idea but it’s still super vague, so I start jotting down ideas that don't even go together, just so I can make decisions later. Sometimes this looks like a mind map or decision tree, and other times this looks like a dialogue with myself, more journaling than anything else.
“If I do this, then this has to happen so how does this work? It could be this or this. I think this # 1 is better…”
It's ugly, but it works. And it’s okay that it’s ugly, nobody else has to see it!
Eventually… You Just Have to Start Writing.
Once you have some ideas on a page, writing something a little more story-like will hopefully come easier. Unfortunately, what it really all comes down to is just sitting down and starting. There’s no quick fix or one-size-fits-all instruction manual. We all have our own obstacles to overcome to start and finish the first, and all the following, drafts. Consider setting yourself some writing goals to provide a framework and source of motivation.
Feel free to share about your struggles and ask for any further advice! Maybe you feel your particular issue wasn’t covered here; I can't guarantee I have an answer, but I’m happy to try!
Jerrica is a writer and editor who inspires up-and-coming writers to create compelling fiction and creative nonfiction works while providing them with the confidence to do it themselves or ask for a helping hand when they need it. She enjoys speculative fiction, horror and gut-wrenching emotion with a side of food & drink and the cozier things in life.
Comments