I’m a member of the Aspiring Authors group over on Facebook. Some of us have banded together to share encouragement and griping. There’s usually very active dialog and it’s a fun group for writers – I highly recommend it.
One of the members didn’t like the advice “just write it,” feeling it made the process of writing sound way too easy. It prompted some discussion and I decided to weigh in.
Writing is Hard Work
Nobody is born knowing how to read and write. It takes work – a lot of it, some of it difficult and at times downright painful – for someone to become a writer. For some people it’s relatively easier because they have a knack for it – just like some people can dance, some people can sing, some people can throw baseballs really fast…you get the point.
When a curious mind wants to write, they read numerous books, articles and classes on how to write. They take it seriously enough to learn as much as they possibly can, which is good. The problem is the new writer sees all these things involved in writing.
A story has a plot. Characters. Setting. Tone. I need an outline. I need plans. I need to have a beginning, middle and end. There are dozens of other things these articles say I need. Do I have all of them? What does all this stuff mean anyway?
Catch the Wave
The aspiring writer winds up thinking way too much about all the things that go into a story. They expend tons of energy trying to make sure they think through all this stuff and they wind up with decision paralysis at the planning phase.
In their noble effort to take the art seriously they wind up stuck in the initial phases, unable to get anything out. That’s not good.
I had a great mentor a while back who realized I was doing this. One day we were in his office talking through a story problem: he took his glasses off, looked me in the eye, and said “You know what your problem is? You’re thinking too much. Stop over-thinking this and just try to catch the wave.“
When I left I was a little dumbfounded. I thought about what he said for the rest of the day and admitted he was right. I had to stop trying so hard and just write.
You Can Revise Later
When I went back the following week, I told my mentor I made some progress, which he thought was great. I was up front with him that I felt the work was rough.
“Don’t worry about it,” he reassured me. “Once you get it out you can revise it. Getting it out is the important part.” Again, he was so right about that. Few of us will get every piece out in perfect form the first time. The work begins with getting it out – but it’s just that, the beginning of the work. (I would argue the fun portion comes with revision, where the story really takes shape, but that’s for another post)
I hope this post helps you get past that block that’s holding you back. There’s nothing wrong with just writing it. Just get started.