Where to Begin
or, I'm so jealous of you writers for making it look so easy!
Checking in with you here on Substack has been on my list for a month. A MONTH! And you should see the strange compendium of half-started posts I’ve got stacked up over in my drafts folder.
There’s one about The Devil in the White City because I just taught a class on it and want to share some of the really insightful conclusions we reached in our discussion, but I was struggling to turn the conversation into a story.
There’s another one about needing to have murderers and serial killers in your nonfiction book, a post loosely connected to The Devil in the White City because, well, Larson has one. Summary of that unfinished newsletter: you don’t need one.
There’s a potential post about writing a great hook because I’m quietly obsessed with first sentences and first paragraphs. Irony: I couldn’t figure out a good first sentence for that post!
Then there’s a draft about cookbooks, which is a sign of desperation on many levels, since I don’t cook!
So here we are, with a newsletter about not being able to come up with something to write in a newsletter.
As I sat here, again, at my computer looking for inspiration, I started thinking about you, Writer. How you actually sit and do this incredible thing. You write!
Can I just say: WOW.
So I figured now’s as good a time as any to remind you that not everyone can do what you can do.
Yes, it feels hard and impossible sometimes, but you do it. You persevere. You find words for that blank page and they grow to become story and grow to become a book and grow to become a book that changes lives.
No, I’m not being melodramatic.
Books change peoples’ lives. Your book is one of them.
There are no exceptions to this rule.
And this brings me to a challenge I hear from so many Writers: how to begin.
So I thought, in a post about not being able to finish a writing project, let’s talk about how to begin.
Let’s clear away some of the basics: Location, method, time.
You need a good space to write - one that makes you happy and suits your style. There is no right place.
Coffee shop writers, embrace that need for a little shoulder-bumping and background noise. Let the whoosh of the milk steamer push away what might be holding your back from writing.
Midnight and early morning writers, you have a lot in common, you know? That peace that comes from no one else being up, the hush of the home, the outside sounds that are just on the edge of your mind as you open up a new page.
Parents, making moments happen at soccer games, or in the 30 minutes before the kids get home from school, or while the baby naps. As if you weren’t already looking like rockstars with your multitasking, you’re adding “writer” to the list!
You need a trusted method to write. Are you a long-hand writer or a computer person? I know some writers enjoy speaking-to-text, so maybe keep that phone handy.
You need to create time. Yes, it’s true. Unless you are one of those magical unicorns who writes for a living (and thus has some gorgeous beachside cabin where you write to the sound of the waves and gulls next to your blooming garden of wildflowers where the friendly local wildlife keeps you company). But seriously, if you don’t make the time to write, you can’t. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t need to be every day, but it should be more often than not.
Once that’s all taken care of, you need to put words on the page, and here’s where I think I can help. I have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve for getting started, whether it’s the start of a new book or the start of a new draft (or even a proposal!).
Some of these ideas might be familiar, but I hope you find one that helps you unlock whatever might be holding you back from beginning.
I say to writers all the time that there is no reason not to be writing now (scroll down to “Hot Writer Summer” for how I can help you fix that problem this Summer!).
Once you feel the call of the book, don’t ignore it. Find a place, make some time, and grab a computer (or notebook or phone) and let’s begin.
“How to begin” Idea #1: the Reader
I’m always thinking in terms of the Reader. If you follow me on LinkedIn (which you should) or Instagram (why not!), or if we’ve worked together, you know that that’s always what I’m going to come back to.
So that where I start.
Ask yourself who the book is for. Who is your dream-Reader who will wander into their local bookshop and pick up your book and just have to buy it?
Once you have a sense of that Reader, write something they have to know. Choose a moment that you know will be in the book, a story, an anecdote, a surprising discovery, and write the scene for that Reader. Think of it like a bit of a love letter. These are your first words just for them.
(You might note that this doesn’t have to be the opening scene. It can be anywhere. It’s about getting to know how the story will unfold for that Reader, a key to unlocking the entire book).
Although you may or may not keep the scene when all is said and done (and written), this exercise gives you a chance to build and practice your rapport with your Reader, and that is invaluable to the ultimate joy of your book.
“How to begin” Idea #2: the Beginning
Stealing a page from Jennie Nash’s book,1 another one of my favorite exercises for getting started is to download a pomodoro app on your phone or computer and commit to writing 3 versions of your first chapter.
While you can do this in shorter or longer bursts, the ideal plan would be to give yourself three hours: 45 minutes for writing, 15 minutes to break; 3 times.
The magic here is both in the time (a deadline often does make people get things done) and the freedom from perfectionism (three different openings means there is no pressure to write the “best” first draft).
Each opening should be different. Write one, close it, walk away. Write something brand new in round 2. And again brand new in round 3.
At the end of those 3 rounds, you’ll have experimented with your voice, your tone, your approach, your story. Reread them tomorrow. Which is speaking the right way, or to the right person?
Use that to inspire the direction of what comes next.
“How to begin” Idea #3: the Change
My final suggestion is to write (close to) the end.
In every book, fiction or nonfiction, prescriptive or scholarly, CHANGE has to happen from start to finish. A book without change is something even the author doesn’t want to read when it’s done!
Change is the thing that makes us care about what happens. It makes us care about a protagonist, or the data (seriously!), or ourselves.
If you don’t know where to start, it might be because you don’t know what’s going to change. Or maybe you do, but you can’t figure out a way to get there.
My third tip is to write the change (n.b. my caveat above that you will almost certainly rewrite this someday, but don’t worry about that today).
Where is the moment in the book where the protagonist steps into their denouement? What is the scene or the event where “it all makes sense” for the first time?
Write that scene. Tell that part of the story.
In trying to write the change, you’ll have to write what changed. It’s instinctive to tell the before and after.
And in so doing, you have the ability to open up the narrative arc for yourself.
When the change happens, what are you feeling? What has truly shifted? What does the Reader now know?
All of these are pieces of the bigger puzzle that you are putting together.
Write the change and let it change how you get to the page.
So what do you think?
Would any of these strategies work for you? Give one a try and let me know!
Do you have a tip of your own?
Share your advice for getting started in the comments below! We’d love to know!
I can’t believe it’s practically Summer!
If you’re thinking about starting your book this Summer (or tackling that proposal), now’s the time to reach out.
My 5-week Pre-Book Proposal plan is the kickstart you need, whether it’s your first draft or your latest revision.
Commit to 5 weeks this Summer to get to know your story, to work through the fundamentals that go into your (eventual) book proposal, and come away with a clear, confident vision for writing forward!
Think of it like going to camp when you were a kid (or plan for when your kids do go to camp!)
You can find all the details here.
I’m booking up June already and would love to add you in before the Summer is out.
You may have noticed lately that I’m all about “what’s holding you back.”
So let me just add here, what’s holding you back from getting to know your book and committing to your story this Summer?
No excuses.
Give yourself 5 weeks this Summer to sort out what your need for your incredible book.
Excited to announce that I’m going to be a guest on an upcoming episode of The Editor’s Half Hour. I’m loving all the great advice from Nadia and her guests (and omg Nadia is just fabulous!).
It’s not just for editors! Writers, you can learn all the in’s and out’s of editing so you are empowered when you need editing for your book. From copywriting to beta reading to book coaching (that’s me!), definitely give it a listen and keep an eye out for Yours Truly in June!
Listen wherever you listen.
with permission, of course!