So You Want to Write a Book? Pt 4

The very last question/topic for this series is almost the most important one, and the one I hear most frequently.


"How do you get started?"


This is both the simplest and most difficult to answer. It's like answering the existential question of "What does life mean?" There are numerous answers to both, and yet there is only one correct answer for each person.


Every person starts on this journey differently. Some will have similar paths, and some will have very convoluted steps.


But the most simple answer I can give is: just start wherever you are. If you feel like writing on the train, in the car, at the office. Grab some paper, or even your phone. And just start. Sometimes your characters will bug you until you write their stories. Others, you'll need to pursue and convince them their story is worth sharing. But the whole issue boils down to one thing.


You have to tell your inner editor, that naysayer, to shut up and take a back seat.


All the doubts, and negative thoughts telling you that your writing will suck, that no one would want to read your books, that people will hate your writing. Take those thoughts, bundle 'em up nice and tight with duct tape, and ship them off to the artic. Or Sibera, whichever is cheaper for your selected transit company.


You have to get those out of your head. Or even better, use them as fuel. Tell yourself that you're going to write despite or in spite of those negative thoughts. And if it's a person telling you those things? Cut them out. You or anyone else who is thinking of being creative definitely don't need that kind of negativity in your lives.


This is why I love what NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo stands for. It's just literary abandon at its finest. AND you have a group of like minded people surrounding, and supporting, your writing. Whether you make the 50K or you only write 10K. You did something that most people would never dream of doing: getting started.


So start today. Maybe just an outline. Maybe a character sketch. Maybe a piece of dialogue. Maybe an entire chapter.
Whatever it is, just start.


I'll just be over here cheering you on.