Have you got a writing project in mind that you never quite get round to
starting?
Perhaps it's something big, like launching a blog, or writing a whole book. It doesn't have to be, though: even small projects (like a short story or a guest post) can feel overwhelmingly hard to begin.
You might have been waiting for the right moment to start – a clear weekend, perhaps, or a
point in life when you've cleared other projects out of the way. Or maybe you're simply waiting until you feel ready.
The problem with this is that you could end up waiting forever.
I know how hard it can be to begin something new. Just sitting down and putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, can
feel like a huge effort.
So, here are three (almost) painless ways to actually start that project.
#1: Make a Plan
If you've not already done so, planning is always a good place to begin.
Perhaps you want to write a novel, and you have a couple of characters and a situation ... but you've not yet begun writing. You're probably stuck because you have no plan – you don't know what's going to actually happen in your novel.
A plan doesn't necessarily need to be an outline (A->B->C). Instead, you might prefer to mindmap, or to simply write stream-of-consciousness notes that you later shape into something more
coherent. Begin in whatever way feels comfortable (and ideally, enjoyable!) for you.
#2: Set Aside a Time to Begin
Instead of waiting for the "right" time, pick a time to begin. Look ahead on your calendar and find a suitable spot. It might be an hour during one evening this week, or some
time early on a weekend morning – whatever works for you.
Don't make the mistake of looking for a whole free day (or even half a day). You don't need to write for a long time to make a good start – even ten minutes is enough to begin.
#3: Write Alongside Someone
Else
I put off tackling my novella's edits for several months. There were some decent reasons for that (other projects taking priority, and stuff like Christmas getting in the way) ... but the longer I waited to begin on the edits, the more resistance I felt to starting.
In the end, I began
editing it in a coffee shop with a writer friend. We were both there to write, and I had no excuse not to get on with it!
For most of us, life is busy and perhaps even chaotic. There's rarely a "perfect" moment to sit down and begin something new. So, seize a non-perfect moment
instead ... because once you've begun, you'll find it's surprisingly easy to keep going.
