When you have trouble starting on your novel, the causes could be all in your head. Here’s how to break out and tell the story that needs to be told.

by Diann Floyd Boehm

Recently, a person told me she had wanted to write a book for some time but could not start. We discussed her experience, and I learned she had what I call “walls, roadblocks, and head noise.” Overthinking the beginning, she was stuck. She had a great story to share but lacked self-belief.

Is that you? Do you have walls, roadblocks, and head noise?

If so, today is your lucky day. Almost every new author experiences such obstacles. Our brains are funny, recalling events we have not thought of in years. Consider the day you knew your English teacher was going to love your creative writing story, only for her to return it full of red marks. The disappointment was shattering. You were confident it was a great story. Now you relive that moment, which blocks your new writing adventure.

First words

So back to your lucky day …

• When you have a story but your brain starts to talk you out of writing, tell yourself, “Go away—it’s a new day.”

• Start writing! It doesn’t have to make sense. Just write your thoughts. Don’t get bogged down correcting or changing what you’ve started writing. Keep going. To avoid getting sidetracked, type notes to yourself in the text about potential edits. Examples: “Make Clara older” or “Rethink timing of rainstorm.”

• Especially important: don’t worry about the first sentence or paragraph. Often the beginning is one of the most edited parts of a published story. Worrying about that too soon could leave you stuck there forever.

Examples of starting techniques

Remember, you are simply getting underway. Once you are moving, you can easily change direction. Some techniques to jump start your writing are to:

• Describe what an important character is thinking or doing, or the character’s appearance or history.

• Describe the setting. One of our children’s favorite Christmas stories begins, “Once, long ago, in a dusty, hillside village far, far away …”.

• Write about a key event, such as:

  Josie walked right up to Alia and said, “Don’t ever speak to me again!”

  Or:

  Mabel’s family moved to a new state, and she hates her new school.

Running with it

You are tearing down walls, removing roadblocks, and turning off the head noise.

How far do those first sentences take you? Hopefully, by letting your thoughts flow, you’ll make good progress. It is important to push through until the basic storyline is on paper, whether in one sitting, or twenty or more sittings.

How to keep making progress? Personally, I just write. I don’t outline at all, I just write. I worry about molding the story after finishing the first draft. This may work for me because most of my stories are for children. Outlining may work for you, but I recommend trying first to put a good portion of the story on paper.

Claim your status as an author: make and hand out author business cards, which will reinforce your self-confidence.

Once I have a rough draft, I organize the story. I can then see the characters come to life. Their development might unexpectedly change the story’s direction. It’s exciting when that occurs. The story becomes unpredictable, and you yourself can’t wait to discover what happens next.

Never be afraid to put the story down and walk away. Let the story relax in your mind and see what ideas come to you.

Don’t worry that the emerging draft is lumpy. Some paragraphs may be near perfect, others may be rough, or they may even fall out of the story. Keep inserting notes about possible additions or changes. Over time, you will smooth out those lumps. When you have expressed the story you wanted to share, it’s time to start editing.

Editing

What a chore! What a necessity! Everything from grammar, punctuation, and word choice, to basic plot and characters, must be examined and edited. Expect to edit your story ten times or more. Here are some steps to take:

Fit your writing to your audience

• Be clear about whom you are writing for, i.e., young readers, college students, or adults.

• Make sure your content fits that audience.

• Check vocabulary and sentence structure to align with that audience.

Identify and eliminate traps

• List wording to avoid, such as too many small words, passive voice, too many “to be” words. Run through the draft looking for each trap one at a time.

• Some repetition is appropriate for young readers, toddlers, or babies. For older readers, avoiding repetition is helpful.

Identify and eliminate inconsistencies

• When your words were flowing, you might have given Mary red hair and then brown hair. Joseph’s best friend might have had a name change halfway through the story. Reading closely with a critical eye can help you spot and correct inconsistencies.

Tip: Be sure to check out ProWritingAid. It’s a great tool to help you with sentence structure, readability, and much more.

Final checks

After your story is complete, step back and consider it.

• Does the story deliver your message? (The final message may not be the original, but it should be one you want to express.)

• Read the story out loud to yourself, or to someone else, to spot mistakes and potential improvements.

Staying motivated

Only you can determine the best way to fold some quality writing time into the busy parts of your life. However, I will share a recommendation I feel strongly about.

To make room in your life—and in your head—to keep writing, you need to claim your status as an author. This is important to do even if you’re not yet published.

Make and hand out author business cards, which will reinforce your self-confidence. Initially, you may feel funny handing out those cards, but trust me, it works. Even if you already have a business card, I recommend having a card specifically identifying you as an author.

I was a teacher, so I had new cards made. Underneath my name, it said:

Educator • Author • Speaker

It sparked great conversations, and I became comfortable stating that I was an author.

Welcome to the wonderful world of storytelling.

Diann Floyd Boehm is an award-winning international author of young adult and children’s books who writes to inspire readers to be kind, like themselves, and embrace imagination. Diann is also involved in various humanitarian projects with multiple organizations. She has traveled extensively to many parts of the world and has lived in the Philippines and Dubai. She and her husband now live in Austin, Texas.

Learn more about Diann at her website, and check out her Story Garden YouTube channel, which lets children hear different children’s authors read their stories. All of Diann’s books are available on Amazon.