Let's Get It Started

As I bask in the glow of a completed manuscript currently battling it out with others in the #PitchWars Twitter contest, I find it so easy to lounge. I wrote a book! Time to take a break…or not. At least for me, I find that if I don’t jump feet first into the next project, a week of leisure can become a month, even a year between major writings.
But jumping in isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Where do I start? How do I select an idea out of the dozens hopping up and down like strays at the pound looking for a home? Should I continue with a similar genre, or should I head off into waters unknown? And even after all of those questions, the big one looms.
How do I start?
Starting a novel is terrifying. It’s not like giving over a few days to a poem, essay, or story, knowing that it’s easy to pull the plug. If a shorter piece fails, you’ve only invested a few days. Mere hours on the writing spectrum. But a novel, it’s a commitment. It’s taking an idea and locking in as if you take the hand of your first date and say What the heck, let’s go get married in that chapel around the corner. It’s a spiritual and emotional mortgage, cementing you to an idea. Once you’ve made that jump, though, it’s essential to get going because again, waiting too long can take the shine right off of your idea. So, I’ve assembled a few tips that have helped me move forward in the past, and one of these tips will hopefully help me put pen to paper tonight as I sign off on my new endeavor.
 

1. READ – This may sound counterintuitive, but don’t be afraid to carve out time to read in the genre that you’re interested in and feel how the author approaches his or her narrative. Copying isn’t a good idea, but emulating is. Does their opening inspire you?
   
   
2. Don’t Start On Day One of Your Story – First pages are so intimidating. And often as writers we don’t see the beginning of the story right away but rather we’re seduced by an inciting moment or a conflict. It’s ok to start there and feel how the tension plays out on the page. 
   
   
3. Outline – Even if you’re not a planner, it’s ok to throw down events and relationships or try the bullet journal method to craft a skeleton. See some outlining ideas HERE.
   
   
4. Talk It Out – Dialogue is a wonderful place to open a new novel. Think about your protagonist. What could he or she say that perfectly characterizes who they are? 
   
   
5. Location Location Location – Is your setting a character of its own? Forget about the primary story for a moment and build a rich landscape with all the texture you can muster. You might be shocked at how easily the characters come to life with a skillfully drawn backdrop.
   
   
6. Put the Pen Down – Meditate. Run around the block. Take a nap. But think about what is attracting you to the story you want to tell. If it’s the right one, it will put out the siren’s call and goad you to start. But if the story recedes to the caverns of your mind, perhaps go back to those other ideas jockeying for your attention. 
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7. Write Without Judgment – The first pages won’t be perfect. But if you love what you’re doing they will draw you back day after day, week after week, and month after month. And who knows, next year around this time you’ll probably be hunting for critique partners, editing with abandon, and readying your now manuscript for the world at large.

 
Whatever you do, keep writing. And enjoy every delicious, painful minute of it.