Hey You! Get Out of Your Head!

Hey, writerly folks! I have a friend of a friend who can't get out of her head to get started. Let's get together and give her our best advice to get over it, shall we? 

What do you have for her?

Josh Nealis: Just set a small goal. A minimum word quota everyday. Then up it every 10k words or so. Gives you time to find the tone and the story you want to tell.

Frank Fradella: Write the absolute worst opening line in the history of ever ever.

Rachel Burda Taylor: Go get Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way.

Robin Adams: Research always inspires me as well as gives me ideas!

Jessica Nettles: Just open Word and put the ideas on the page.

Carrie Fisher helped me a lot. She had anxiety and a lot of other stuff going on in her head. In spite of this, she was an actress and wrote hilarious novels. She said, “Stay afraid. Do it anyway.” When I get scared or the imposter syndrome gets loud, I hear Space Mom. If she could things, so can I, and so can you.

I bet your stories are awesome.

Sara Freites Scott: Just sit down and spill it all out on paper/laptop LOL don’t worry about it. Write what YOU want to read. You can always do rewrites later but get what you can down while you still have it!

John Morgan Neal: Start filling the blank page. With anything related to the story you are wanting to tell. Lists. Opinions. Song lyrics. What is the main character's favorite ice cream? Why? What makes them angry? Make up something about the setting. Who's is the weatherman on the local TV News? Describe them. What kind vehicle does the second main character drive. What color is it. Is that the color they wanted.

Kay Iscah: I tend to stay in my head until I can play the story out like a movie and I know the ending and all the key scenes. It was a little gratifying to hear Brandon Sanderson dignify being a "binge" writer as something other than horribly unhealthy in his lecture series. There is a point where you have to sit down and write, but it is okay to figure out what/why you're writing first.

My antisocial is kind of kicking in this week. Frankly writing is a flooded market, so if someone has to make themselves write, I think it's okay to not try to be a writer. Enjoy reading. Enjoy day dreaming. Turning your hobby into work makes it work instead of play.

ou should write because you love the craft or you have a story that's burning to be told. If you want to have a book because you just like the idea of being a writer, but not the work that goes into it, don't force yourself.

You can also simply write for the joy or therapy of it without worrying about producing anything sellable. Stream of conscious writing, journal writing, scribbling bad poetry in the margins. I love the line from Sabrina "I wrote nonsense in a journal... and then one day it wasn't nonsense."

If it's a story, write a story you want to read, and decide later if/when you want to share it.

Mari Hersh-Tudor: Start typing. Type anything. Type “I am typing.” Then keep typing literally any words. They don’t have to make sense. They’re warmups. Eventually they will turn into words you like.

Bobby Nash: Just start writing. Even if it isn't something you can use, just pick a character and follow him/her around. A little free writing can open up your creativity.

Emily Leverett: Admit that what you do write isn't going to be as good as you want it to be. (Also known as: embrace the suck, but that sounds more harsh than I mean it.) Know that it is okay to not get it right the first time. In fact, it is GREAT because you now have room to learn about yourself, your writing, the piece and characters, all of it! If it is fear of failure that is stopping her, then just knowing you'll fail in some way, and being okay with it, is an important step. Perfectionism is deadly, especially early on in the process. As others have said, be afraid and do it anyway. But don't worry about whether or not it is good. It isn't. But it can't be better until you write it. Hugs to her and anyone else struggling with it.

George Tackes: Read a non-fiction book with a notepad and pen nearby.

Gordon Dymowski: Do something that gets you out of your head: wash your dishes. Do your laundry. Work your garden if you have one. I find that the best ideas come when I'm *not* focused on the blank page.

Sean Taylor: Use Checkov's trick. Look at something close to you: an ash tray, a pet collar, anything. Write something about it, an anecdote, a story, a description (again, anything). By the time you're done, the muscles should already be pushing you forward.