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.
Sometimes, that makes sense: I've been waiting to start on a new piece of fiction for the past few weeks, because I just haven't had the time and energy while supporting my husband through the final stages of his PhD. You might have a similarly time-limited reason for waiting.
Often, though, it's easy to carry on waiting for the "perfect" moment ... and if you do 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 to feel spontaneously inspired, 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 feel that you need to look 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
If you've been putting off a project for a long time, you might find that you're feeling a lot of resistance to getting started.
This is when other writers can be a huge help. Whether you write sitting next to a friend in a coffee shop or join an online forum or group where other people are sharing their wordcount progress, writing alongside another writer (or a group of writers) can be hugely motivating.
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 easier than you think to keep going.
