Brian Freyermuth's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
How to Begin
Everyone wants to know how to write, but there seem to be hundreds of people telling you how. You know what the one consistent thing is? Everyone writes in their own way. I could give advice, sure, but so will nine million other authors around the globe. So instead I’m going to tell you what I do. You can take what you want from it, but just know that what works for me might not work for you. And that’s ok.
Over the next few blogs I’ll be going over how I begin a novel and the work that goes into finishing it. And make no mistake about it. It’s work. Anyone who thinks it’s easy has never sat in front of a blank page while the stresses of life bang against the bars in your head, each of them wanting your immediate attention. They’ve also never sat down to write only to have the characters on the page take off in an unexpected way that completely derails that wonderful outline you spent so much time hammering out.
I’ll start it off with this: “What do you want to write?” It sounds too simple to be an actual question, but it’s valid. Out of the hundreds of stories flitting around your brain, which one do you want to commit to paper? Maybe it’s an abominable snowman who comes out of the mountains to play chess with an old man living alone in a cabin. Maybe it’s a space opera full of odd little aliens and a threat that spans the galaxy. Who knows?
Ideas are like relationships. There’s the newlywed phase, where the idea is the greatest thing ever, but that doesn’t last long. You’re going to get into fights with your idea, you’re going to love your idea, and there will be points where you just want to throw your computer out the window. So make sure the idea is one you want to spend time writing for the next few months of your life.
Because the idea is only the beginning…
Over the next few blogs I’ll be going over how I begin a novel and the work that goes into finishing it. And make no mistake about it. It’s work. Anyone who thinks it’s easy has never sat in front of a blank page while the stresses of life bang against the bars in your head, each of them wanting your immediate attention. They’ve also never sat down to write only to have the characters on the page take off in an unexpected way that completely derails that wonderful outline you spent so much time hammering out.
I’ll start it off with this: “What do you want to write?” It sounds too simple to be an actual question, but it’s valid. Out of the hundreds of stories flitting around your brain, which one do you want to commit to paper? Maybe it’s an abominable snowman who comes out of the mountains to play chess with an old man living alone in a cabin. Maybe it’s a space opera full of odd little aliens and a threat that spans the galaxy. Who knows?
Ideas are like relationships. There’s the newlywed phase, where the idea is the greatest thing ever, but that doesn’t last long. You’re going to get into fights with your idea, you’re going to love your idea, and there will be points where you just want to throw your computer out the window. So make sure the idea is one you want to spend time writing for the next few months of your life.
Because the idea is only the beginning…
