They say that everyone has at least one book inside them, just waiting to be written. However, it’s fair to say that some people find getting started with creative writing far more difficult than other people. Some individuals will stare at a blank page for hours and have no idea where to begin. After all, no one wants to fall into the “once upon a time” trap.
Perhaps you love the idea of writing a novel and never find the words or constantly get stuck on this crucial first step. What should you do to push yourself forward?
Start With A Plan
There are typically two trains of thought when approaching how to write a novel or even a short story. You can simply let the story write itself naturally. As well as making it more difficult to get started, this can also lead to you writing yourself into a corner. It’s quite common for people who write like this to get stuck in a rut, particularly with fantasy writing. A lot of people think that when you write fantasy, the only limits are your imagination. However, this isn’t quite the case.
Great fantasy writers create an entire world or universe that follows a set list of rules. This is the lore of the world that you create and once it’s in place, you need to write within the boundaries that exist in that world. Otherwise, you break the suspension of disbelief.
The alternative path is to plan it all out. So, you have a full plan for the novel and then you can also have separate plans for each chapter as well. That’s great if you also have a problem with waffle and with a plan in place, it’s easier to fill in your first draft of the story.
Don’t Ignore Your Drive
You might find that you have a surge of creative energy at odd times such as in the middle of the night. A lot of people ignore this and instead go back to sleep. You shouldn’t do this because it’s often your brain telling you that there’s a great idea or a wonderful piece of the writing lurking in the back of your head.
Perhaps you have heard of the 4am Miracle? The 4am Miracle is derived from the work of a great poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge who wrote ‘Kubla Khan’ after waking from a dream at 4am. Even then, the writer only managed to capture a fragment of the dream that provided such fantastic inspiration.
This is why you should always pursue inspiration when it arrives, regardless of what you’re doing at the time.
Tackle Your Anxiety
Diamonds are made under incredible amounts of pressure. But that doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be able to write their thoughts, feelings or ideas when they are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Realistically, stress is enough to stop most people from even sitting down with a pen and paper or a keyboard. So, if you want to make sure that you do unlock that novel in your mind, then you need to think about finding a way to destress. Some people are constantly overwhelmed with anxiety and if that’s the case, it could be worth considering herbal medication. Once you clear your mind you could find that you do unlock some great ideas and the words start to flow.
Alternatively, you may want to think about exploring meditation and mindfulness. Meditation is a way to break free from the pressures of life. People often think that meditation is going to be difficult to achieve. However, that’s not the case. All you need to do is sit in a quiet place and regulate your breathing. Eventually, you will feel a powerful calm and soon you will understand how to meditate, gaining clarity.
Finding Inspiration
Of course, you might be struggling to find inspiration to tell your story. If that’s the case, then you need to go out and pursue it. There are numerous ways to do this, but one of the best is to go out and be around nature. Get into the middle of nowhere, take a pad and paper and try to write down whatever comes to mind. Whether in note forms or a full story, it’s entirely up to you.
We hope this helps you understand some of the best ways to finally fill in that blank page that might have been sitting on your laptop for years. If you take this advice, you should be able to unlock the secrets of a great story.
This is great advice, Ellen, thanks!