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."
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