A question I get a lot in almost any situation where people are trying something new is "where do I start?" In fact, when I was teaching students, it was one of the skills we worked on the most often: how do we know where to start?

It's a question I ask myself a whole bunch too. Something as simple as making a new recipe or operating someone else's washing machine has me searching for some kind of how to. Recipes are maybe a bad example because they literally contain the how-to down at the bottom, but you get it.

So how does one start writing?

Of course, the simplest answer is, well, to write something. Then you have begun writing, right? And that's exactly how I did it.

I'm not sure whether it was a good method or a bad one, but let's go!

I wrote my first novel really really fast. It was 100% pantsed, which means I wrote it without any real idea where it was going or what was going to happen next, only knowing how it started and a little about who the main character was.

I think doing this had some positives.

For one, I wasn't worried about rules or how well I was doing things or whether it was taking too long to get where I wanted to go. I was just worried about telling the story in my head. That was a positive for me, because I get very in my head and perfectionist-y about things, and not knowing what I was doing wrong meant I couldn't do that!

It was also helpful for me because before I engaged with critiques or harsh comments or realizations that my story lacked plot, I'd already finished it. I'd gone through the process of writing enough words to have a novel. I'd considered how to end a book and how to start one and everything in between.

Sometimes I think the hardest part of writing, after getting started, is the ability to complete things. At least, that's how it feels to me. It takes forever to finish a novel!

In fact, the thought of how long writing a novel takes had been one of the things that held me back from even attempting to write. It stopped me from putting pen to paper for so long! I mean, I didn't write anything (that wasn't a school project) until I was in my late 20s, even though reading has been my whole personality since I was like eight. Maybe before, I can't remember.

So writing that book in a chaotic whirlwind (heh Easter egg joke for anyone who saw that book) was very helpful because it proved to me I could do it.

No matter what came at me after that or how stuck I got, I always knew I was capable of writing a novel, because I'd done it before. Was it a good novel? No. That's why it doesn't live on my profile anymore.

But it was written. It was practice. It was a whole piece of writing that I had created out of my brain that I could now receive feedback on.

I think how I seek out and receive feedback is probably a whole chapter or two, so for now I'll just say: I'm very picky and very sensitive. I do not have a thick skin and I won't be growing one anytime soon. I cannot seek out feedback from just anyone.

But I did find some wonderful humans willing to help me out who guided me through how to learn about story structure. And I found a group of people on the forums talking about things I didn't understand AT ALL. Like character motivation and stuff.

Okay, I understood it a little, because I had completed a degree in literature, but this was looking at things from an entirely different angle: no longer analyzing what was there, I was now expected to figure out how to put it there.

What?!? How?

And that's how I found my writing groups and my love of writing craft books (and my dislike for writing craft books, but again, let's leave that for another day).

So there were so many good things about writing my book fast. I learned with my feet to fire, if you will, already knowing that I could do it. Learning to make it better seemed far less daunting when I knew I had the ability to make it at all.

And that is how I developed my longstanding philosophy of failing forward. I no longer attempt to succeed without failure. I just attempt to fail in fun new ways that will allow me to learn.

Of course my goal is still to write an amazing story every time. And I think I've gotten better at that over time, but I'll let readers decide that for themselves.

The point is, no matter how good I get, I know I will never be perfect. There are ALWAYS going to be new things to learn. So I want to fail in new and interesting ways. I want to get stuck on new things. I want to keep learning and growing and getting better.

I don't think there will ever be a time I stop messing things up and learning from those mistakes. There has come a time when I can identify the truly messy mistakes earlier in the process and therefore choose to not post them.

That is why you won't see many truly catastrophic attempts. It isn't because I don't make them, it's just that I don't share them. And that's part of my process of needing to write offline. Remember what I said about not having a thick skin?

And I've gone on quite the tangent of how amazing writing my first book with no real research was, but let's talk about the less good things.

Writing really fast didn't give my ideas time to breathe. It didn't give my brain time to think of the best way to tell the story or even consider why I was telling it.

Writing without the benefit of story structure and craft meant that I wrote scenes that were boring or dragged, because I thought everything that happened to my MC was vitally important.

It wasn't.

Writing without a loose plan meant I didn't get to explore the deep family dynamics I really wanted to explore in the book, leaving many of the characters flat and many relationships underdeveloped.

I think one thing that was really missing from that first attempt was the heart of the story. Those little things that really make readers care about the characters.

Was that missing because I wrote it quickly? I don't know. Probably not. We all have our natural strengths and weaknesses and my strength is quippy realistic dialogue while my weakness is who-cares-what-colour-the-walls-are?

I've learned over time, though, by studying books that I enjoyed and reading craft books and discussing writing with probably hundreds of authors. And what I've learned is why those setting descriptions are there. I've learned about grounding a scene, yes. And that's important. But I've also learned how to use the setting and the character's interaction with it to develop their character, the conflict, etc.

In short, I've learned how to use the setting to tell a story. And I was really missing that from my first pancake. But honestly, in my case, I think those things would have been missing or weak in my first attempt no matter how quickly I wrote it, because they were just the things that came less naturally to me.

Everyone has things they understand more easily or enjoy more, so we're all going to have our own goods and bads when discussing our early writing attempts. There's a finite number of things, so it's definitely possible some of you share my exact struggles. In which case, hello, when is the meeting of the "how do I write a setting?" club happening? I'll bring cake.

So, to bring it back to the question: How do I start?

That's why, ultimately, I think I'm glad I got here how I did. I started by flinging myself into the battle with barely any armour and a sword made out of paper. Not my usual MO, but I often think that if I'd known more things before I started to write, I would have been trying to do everything instead of trying to do one thing: finishing a book.

And I would have completely overwhelmed myself.

So I've taken that philosophy forward with me. I try new things all the time, but I let the rest be a mess. Trying a new genre? HOT MESS. That's okay! I learned something new. Trying a new point of view? DISASTROUS? That's okay, too. Because I did it. And doing is how I learn best.

So, for me, I start by doing. I jump into stories I don't feel I'm fully ready for and write what I affectionately call "crap drafts," where I let them be bad on purpose. I go in later and clean up what I need to clean up.

Is this a good time to say I actually like editing? *hides from tomatoes*

When I edit my drafts, I almost always have to add in details to set the scene and produce emotional impact (make my readers feel things). I am getting better at including some of that in my first drafts, but I think I'm forever going to be adding more of those details in editing just because it comes less naturally to me when translating the story from my head to the page.

Of course not everyone is me. I know some authors who spend time crafting beautiful stories one polished chapter at a time and barely have to edit at all. No matter how we get there, we have a story in the end, and that's what matters.

But if you struggle, like I do, with the desire to write a perfect story. And if that desire to be perfect means you're tripping yourself up on things like wording and phrasing and grammar, it might be worth a try to just write the story and let it be bad. Maybe even make it be bad. Crap Draft to your heart's content.

Let those terrible scenes happen. Let the character do what they want. Let the dialogue make no sense. Let your chapter start with your character waking up. Leave yourself a note that says "((You should probably describe the setting here))" and keep writing.

It can all be fixed later. It can all be used later. And even if you end up filing the book in the recycle bin (I've been there, don't that), the practice of having written it is still a learning experience and, in my opinion, a valuable one.

Learning comes slowly and it happens with mistakes. So I'm going to keep making purposeful mistakes. Trying things I don't know how to do. And then figuring out how to get better.

I will fail forward.

It's a time-consuming process, but it isn't so bad as long as you enjoy the ride. Which is exactly what I give myself permission to do. I'm going to write things I like and I'm going to keep learning new things.

Wouldn't you know it, that is literally the reason this book exists! Because I want to keep learning. I like learning. And thinking about how things work or why they work really helps me understand where I think my writing could be stronger. And how I can get where I want to go.

So let's wrap this up, shall we!

For anyone who is wondering, I'm not really a pure pantser anymore. I do still go into stories with wild ideas and a chaotically loose plan, but I know where it's going and I better understand my characters. I didn't do that consciously, either. It just came with practice and with careful thought about how people work.

Now that I've done this 'writing a novel' thing a few times, I've also noticed a pattern in myself. What gets me excited about writing a new story is a pair of characters who have really hooked me. With their voice or their interaction with each other or their contrast or something else. They are compelling and interesting individuals with struggles that will complement each other.

If I have that, it doesn't matter what else I have, I can write that story.

That's not universal by any means! I know people who NEED a fun world to play with, a mysterious problem to solve, a unique mood or tone, a theme they'd really like to explore, or any number of other things.

No matter what it is that gets us excited about a story, I think that's ultimately how we start our stories, because that's how we know we have something we love enough to put the work in. Find something that excites you and write about that. I think it's a great place to start. Every single time.

~ * ~ My Curious Mind Wants to Know... ~ * ~

What do you think is the most important thing to have before you start writing a story? How much experience did you have before you decided to write your own books?

How do you start your stories? Planning? Role playing as your characters? Just opening your document and writing? Something else?

What gets you excited about writing a story? Is it always the same or does it vary by project?

Is there something else you think could be helpful for writers when starting a new story? 

Anything you'd like to ask me or other authors? 

While I appreciate comments here, please feel free to send me a message wherever you find me if you prefer not to have your comment or question appear publicly.