Just Write

Often writers get blocked before they ever begin a writing project because they feel they need to know their entire story or essay or article or poem before they start writing.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Writing is, more than anything, a process of discovery for the writer.  Seldom do writers know everything about their project before they start writing because the writing takes on a life of its own and unfolds in sometimes surprising ways.  That's what makes writing a journey.  Most writing projects start with just a nugget of an idea and then grow over time into a fully developed composition.  So start with that nugget that is rolling around in your head and just write it down.  Let it take you to the next thought and the next, and before you know it, you're on your way to a finished piece.  Don't judge that early idea that you start with.  Give it a chance to prove its worth.  You can discard it later if it doesn't work out, but the value of that early idea is it gets your pen moving on paper or your fingers moving on a keyboard.  It's the spark that starts the fire - fragile but critical - and you don't want to snuff it out before it even has a chance to grow into a flame.  Here are some ways to get your writing started, even without a fully formed idea to work with:

Write down your main idea

Start with your main idea, the nugget rolling around in your head, and write it down.  It may be as simple as a vague idea for a story, such as:  a blind teacher faces extraordinary challenges in the classroom.  You don't yet know what those challenges may be because you haven't fully developed this idea yet, but you know it's the core idea you want to work with.  It's important to just get that idea down.  It's vague, but it's an anchor idea that will help you flesh out the rest of your story and it also helps you focus on what's most important to you in writing this story - the challenges of blindness.

Write a purpose statement

Now that you have your main idea to work with, you can further focus it by thinking about your purpose in writing about this idea.  For instance, with the above example, is your purpose to enlighten readers about the challenges of blindness, of teaching, or both?  Having a clear idea about your purpose, in other words, why you are interested in this idea, will help you decide what types of details you will need to fully develop your idea in the most effective way.  A purpose statement is usually a single sentence that articulates what you intend to do with your main idea.  It could read like this:  My purpose in writing this story is to illuminate the challenges a blind person faces in the workforce, especially in a challenging setting like the classroom.  You now have the basic foundation for moving forward with developing the details you will need to present the story.

Write an idea list

Based on the main idea and purpose statement you've developed, begin jotting down story ideas, how you think the story might unfold.  The list is a flexible document and will be changed many times. This early list is just a preliminary layout for possible scenarios for your story.  It could include ideas such as:  unruly students challenging the blind teacher, the teacher's struggle with visual technology that is so pervasive in the modern classroom, possible non-acceptance of the blind teacher by the other sighted teachers in the school, general ignorance of the condition of blindness within the school system, etc.  At this point, you're just brainstorming and jotting down ideas.  You can evaluate their worthiness later.  The value of the list is it gives you some possible starting points for beginning your writing process.  Take one of the ideas from your list - perhaps the idea of general ignorance of the condition of blindness within the school system - and begin your story there.  It may not be where your story begins in your final draft, but for now, it is a place to begin writing.  Take this one idea and write an outline for how you will develop it, which is the final step in getting your writing started.

Write an outline

You now have a specific idea to focus on to begin writing your story.  Since you want to start with the idea of general ignorance of the condition of blindness within the school system, jot down a preliminary outline to reflect how you think this part of your story may unfold.  For instance, you may start with the teacher's application to the school and the interviewers' reaction to his blindness, then segue into how, once hired, he faces further reactions from his fellow teachers, and finally, how his students react to him in the classroom.  Under each of these three main areas, you can list sub-ideas about the details you will develop to present all three reactions in your story.  You now have a solid basis and a plan for beginning your story.  Don't worry about whether the outline is the right one or if it will work out well.  Just use it as your spark to begin writing.

If you are faced with a writing project that seems daunting and you are feeling blocked before you even get started, try some of these techniques to get your writing going.  Remember that it is most important that you just begin writing rather than having everything all figured out.  These simple techniques will help you overcome that initial blocking and get you writing without unnecessary delay.  Yes, it's important that your writing projects be well-developed and well-written, but first you have to "just write."

Change It Up

Nothing kills the effectiveness of writing more than the use of cliches such as: stone cold, free as a bird, stiff as a board, etc.  We use these cliches all the time in our speech.  They're convenient, easily accessible in our brains, and they say exactly what we mean in an expedient way.  But they shouldn't be present in our writing.  Readers want writers to engage their senses in new and unique ways, so naturally, they aren't challenged or excited by cliches. They expect writers to make connections for them between things or ideas they may not have considered before.  They don't want to read that something is as cold as a stone, as free as a bird, or as stiff as a board. They want new sensory connections and imagery from your writing.  Your job as a writer, then, is to create those new connections through your artful use of language.  This requires research in the form of word searches and asking your mind to work in new ways through the use of writing exercises.

Word searches involve the extensive use of reference materials such as a thesaurus, dictionary, word guide and other resources that help you find new words to express old ideas.  This is an intensive search for just the right word or words to describe or express an idea or thing in a way that will delight and surprise readers.

Writing exercises train you to think in new ways so that you can write in new ways.  For example, you can challenge yourself to write a description of a weather element such as rain without using any visual details.  Your challenge is to describe it using only the sensations of taste, touch, smell and sound.  Another exercise challenge example is to describe the color red using only the sensation of touch.  You can create endless writing exercise challenges for yourself that will help you get away from cliched thinking and develop new ways of describing things for readers.

A good test for cliched writing is when a descriptive passage comes too easily.  It's most likely because you've lapsed into cliches that are stored up in your brain and roll out unnoticed in the rush of writing. Writing description is not easy.  It takes work and extensive tinkering to get your words to come out just the right way.  It's a slow process and doesn't just roll out.  So, on re-reading, look carefully at your descriptors and determine if you can express them in a more unique way, ideally a surprising way, that will engage your readers and allow them to create new connections, new imagery, and a new appreciation for everyday things and ideas.  Change up your writing and you will have the power to change your readers.