100 Things You Should Know About Writing (Part 2)

26) Starting Out is Hard Work

I'm quite vocal about the fact that I'm a writer, which often means that I'm often bombarded by stupid comments by people who don't understand. (Dealing with these people would probably take up a whole other section, but not today.) Sometimes, though, it brings me into contact with people who want to write, but don't think they can, and those who are writing, but think they're not actually writers. 

Both of these types of people exist for the same reason: Starting to write is incredibly hard. And don't let any non-writing idiots tell you otherwise. 

I think one of the main reasons why starting out is so hard is that everything is strange, and that strangeness makes the young writer doubt everything they do.

Most people I've talked to have an idea for a story. I believe that storytelling is ingrained in our genetics, and that every person has at least one story they want to tell. Writing is a wonderful way to do that, but on sitting down, every new writer is confronted with a terrible, hereto unknown beast of immeasurable power: 

The Blank Page. 

Confronted with actually writing down the story, the writer's mind draws a complete blank. How does one even begin to craft a story that moves people? That touches lives? Isn't it incredibly arrogant to think that one is even capable of it?

Most people flinch back when confronted with an empty page. Which is why I usually challenge idiots who say writing a story is easy to actually try writing one themselves. Staring the blank page in the face is usually an intimidating, humbling experience . 

Some people, even though they want to tell that story, give up right here. These are the ones who want to write, but "can't". 

Here's the thing, though: The Blank Page never goes away. Nor does its power to strike fear into a writer's heart. This is completely normal. 

After almost eighteen years of writing, I got struck down by my fear of beginning a story as lately as a week ago. It's a horrible feeling, let me tell you. Especially when you know you've told stories before and nothing should technically stop you from creating another. So no, it doesn't go away. It doesn't end at beginnings of stories either. It can strike at any new chapter. (Particularly toward the middle of a story.) It can pop up from nowhere if you need to start your day's writing session on a page that happens to be empty.

So you've got a story you want to write, but you don't even know where to start? Let me give you some tips on how to get past the blank page. 

1) Just write something. Really. Often the fear of the blank page is all psychological. You know what you want to write. And if you don't know how to write it yet, you'll probably find that actually writing it down is the only way to find out. 

2) Have some sort of plan. Some people fill their first blank pages with scene-by-scene plans to get from start to end. Knowing what happens all the time does take some of the sting out of a blank page, because you know what to fill it with now. (Although the "just write" advice still applies when it comes to the how.) 

Others, like me, tend not to be able to write down a plan. That's fine too. But it's a good idea to know something about the story that you can write towards. For me, that thing is the climax of the story. The scene where the main plot arrives at its highest point before settling to the end. I want to write toward it, so I want to know what it is. You might find another place that works for you, and that's fine too. But as long as you know where you're headed, you have some sort of clue as to what your chapters should be about. 

3) Don't stop writing at the end of chapters. This one I don't do, but I know a lot of writers who use this method--especially during NaNoWriMo. Really, the effect is all psychological. If you end mid-chapter, it means you don't start your next writing section with a blank page. Which tricks your mind to sail over the beginning of the next chapter without a hitch. 

Once new writers get past their first few blank pages, they hit their next obstacle:

If I was a real writer... 

I wouldn't struggle to create characters. I wouldn't get stuck in the middle. My writing would be better. This is crap. I'm a failure. I suck. I'm not even really a writer. I'm just pretending. And if someone asks, that's just what I'm going to tell them. No, I'm not a writer. I'm just messing around with this story idea I have. 

Sound familiar? 

Yeah, I think most new writers wrestle with themselves like this. But before you wrestle a second further, I need you to read this and let this settle in: 

You are a real writer if you write. 

That's it. If you have a project that you're working on, be it short story, novel, or non-fiction. The moment you commit to writing that project, you're a writer. And by commit, I mean write. Not one day, some day, or later. Now. 

Your writing skills will improve. You'll learn how to fix errors and flawed writing. And no, no one I've ever met writes a publishable draft the first time around. Those who say they do are either lying or delusional. The sooner you learn to write despite your writing's imperfections, the faster you'll learn how to be a better writer. 

But you are a writer. Even if it's often soul-destroyingly hard to write. 

Even if there are idiots out there saying that writing can't possibly be hard to do. Know better. Writing is digging into your soul. It's bleeding your inner-most thoughts onto the page. It's putting your heart somewhere outside yourself where someone might decide to take a stab at it one day. 

Doesn't sound easy, does it? 

That's why it's not. So if someone ever tries to convince you otherwise, flip them the bird, then write a character just like that person into your story and kill them off in some creative way. It'll make you feel better. And better yet, it'll ensure your continuing status as a writer. 

Because you'll be writing. 

Welcome to Part 2 and thanks for reading, all! If you have any writing-related questions or questions about this section, please feel free to leave me a comment. As always, if your question inspires me to write another section, I'll dedicate that section to you. 

Please don't forget to vote if you like what I've written! 

Coming up in 100 Things: 

Ideas and Cliches

The Excuses We Use

Dealing With Fear, Doubt, and Insecurities

Writing Multiple Points of View (MarissatheMarvelous) 

How to Keep Dialogue Real (MarissatheMarvelous)