On the days the words don’t come easily, you have two choices: you can whine about the fact, or you can get to work. If you’re in the former group, I give you permission to wail about the difficulty for two minutes. You’re not going to get anything done until you do. I know. I’ve been there, so go. Cry, scream, or swear for the next two minutes then come back. Are you back? Good. Now you’re ready to join the latter group, the one that yells “This is Sparta!” and gets to work.
This group is the one that believes the beginning is enough. They don’t have to have the completed picture in mind; in fact, they often prefer they don’t. They know, as L.L. Barkat says, that a piece of writing knows where it wants to go. Their job is to follow that work rather than to force it to do things it oughtn’t. They can – to use that popular term – “pivot.” They leave room for the work to adapt and grow. They don’t believe that their initial choice seals their fate. They can change the thing. They can let it metamorphose.
How to begin at the beginning? The beginning can be a line, a short sentence, an image, a color. It always is a word, preferably one with some concreteness to it; “the” is not really a beginning, although it can preface the beginning word. Sometimes, the beginning is borrowed from another. I’ve borrowed lines a number of times, particularly when I’m struggling to write. I take the line, and I see where it takes me. It often takes me to unexpected places – my work now has an elephant or a flamingo in it. I’m not sure how either one of those things finds its way into my writing, but I greet them warmly. They are there for a reason, even if the reason only is to remind me, to remind us that the beginning is enough.
Image: takomabibelot (CC BY 2.0)
I have found that if I’m forcing my writing, then I quit. I know when it happens and I walk away. On the weekends, like Sunday evening, I’m usually able to crank out 3 posts that are decent. I think picking a time not encumbered with work stuff works better. Or, writing in your head (which I do) and then it’s easier to sit and crank.
Soulati | Hybrid PR Yes, I tend only to force the writing if I’m on a strict deadline or need to get back into the habit of writing.
I do some of the writing in my head, too. I just have to make sure to write some of it down or I can’t remember it all when I’m actually sitting in front of my computer. I also like to write in the morning. I don’t get to do that as often these days, but that’s the time of day when my brain isn’t hindered with thoughts of emails and everything else calling for attention.