Preparing to Write: A Not-for-the-Faint-of-Heart Guide

I’ve heard there are some writers who just start.

These writers, if I’m to believe the stories, put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. They stare at the trees beyond their window or the organized desk at which they sit or even the dishes piled in the sink. But instead of seeing these things, they are transported to the corners of their minds where the beginnings of stories reside.

And then, they start.

“I just go where the writing takes me,” these writers say.

“The story has a life...