How Do I Start Writing? - A Guide for New Writers

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but if you dwell overlong on the precise placement of that first step then your journey will never begin at all.

Maybe you have an idea for a story - a scene, a character, a concept, a line, or maybe just a vague sense of the notion of an idea - but translating ideas into words on the page can be a daunting task, especially if you've never written anything before.

There is nothing quite as intimidating as a head full of ideas and a page full of nothing.

So where do I start writing? Where do I begin? How do I actually write down my ideas?

If you've ever asked anybody these question before, you've probably been given this piece of advice in some form or another - "Just do it". In my humble opinion, "Just do it" is probably the most annoying, useless piece of advice anyone can receive, especially if you're starting out.

"How do I start writing my story?"

"Just write it. Duh."

"Wow! Genius! Why didn't I think of that!? All my problems are solved!"

And yet there is a grain of truth in this advice. The best way to start writing is to write, but being told to "Just do it" doesn't address the root problem that you - as a new writer - are actually facing: HOW?

How Do I Start Writing?

The problem that writers - especially new writers - get stuck on when they sit down to write are the "How do I's" of writing.

How do I start writing my story?
How do I know if my ideas are any good?
How do I translate my thoughts & ideas into words?
How do I know if anyone will want to read what I write?
How do I get better at writing?

How do I is a conundrum that every writer has found themselves in at one point or another, but the answer to these How do I's is deceptively simple.

Instead of focusing on how to write your ideas, instead consider how to tell someone your ideas.

To show you what I mean, let's take a step back for a minute and consider the context of the problem itself.

What Even is Writing?

Writing is a form of human-to-human communication via the use of language.

However, writing is not the most natural, intuitive usage of language that we humans use; Speech is. Consider this: When we are babies, what do we learn to do first; Speak or Write?

The answer is obvious. Before we learn to run, we must learn to walk. Likewise before we learn to write, we must learn to speak. The core of writing is not merely arranging words in your head, on the page, or on your screen. Instead, think of writing as speaking through the written word. This may seem like an insignificant distinction, but it is an absolutely critical - if subtle - one.

When viewed from this angle, the answer to the "How do I's" becomes clear. You don't "just write it down". Rather, you use writing to tell someone your ideas.

But if Writing is a Form of Speaking, Who am I Speaking To?

That one's easy. Yourself!

When you write, you are speaking to yourself because nobody else is writing your words for you.
When you write, you are the primary audience for your thoughts, your ideas, your stories.
When you write, you are communicating your thoughts, your ideas, your stories to yourself using language in the form of the written word.

Even if you're shy & insecure about your writing, you will always be your own audience, your own primary reader, your own worst critic, and your own biggest fan. Writing is an inherently self-reflective exercise, and the most important "How do I" of writing isn't "How do I start writing?", it's "How do I write to myself?"; and the only way to know the answer is to just start writing.

But what if I don't like what I write? What if it sucks?

If comparison is the thief of joy, then insecurity is being the thief of one's own joy.

While this section isn't strictly related to the question of "How do I start writing?", insecurities are the bane of new writers & the killers of creativity, so I want to preempt them with some sage wisdom from a formerly insecure writer.

If you don't like what you've written, that's perfectly fine! In fact, that's normal!

It's completely natural to be disappointed in your own writing. In fact, being dissatisfied with what you've written is a perfectly normal part of the writing process, and this doesn't just apply to new writers either. For example, this isn't even the first version of this article that I've written. I wrote a 2500 word draft of this article that I ended up throwing on the scrap heap because it just wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to - and that's fine!

You aren't a bad person or a failure for not writing something absolutely perfect the first time; it just means you have good taste, and you recognize that you aren't practiced enough to write up to your own standards. However I know firsthand how discouraging that disconnect between personal standards & skills can feel. So if you ever feel disheartened, if you're worried you'll never be a good writer, if you feel that you should just give up now, let me offer you a piece of wisdom:

It does not matter if what you write is good or bad. All that matters is that it is.

Once you've got something out on the page - even if it's only a single, mediocre line - then you have something to work from. You can add to it, expand on it, edit it, re-write it, and before you know it you'll have written pages and pages and pages of notes, ideas, outlines, scenes, chapters, novels, poetry, and/or essays that might all end up in recycling bin later down the line anyways. AND THAT'S FINE! THAT'S NORMAL!

Not everything you write needs to be good. It is not a moral nor ethical nor social failure to suck at something. Most people suck at most things. That's just how humans are. Perfection is an impossible standard, and failure to meet an impossible standard isn't a failure of your writing skills, it's an issue of imposing unrealistic expectations on yourself.

In the end, all that matters is that you write, because the more you write, the more you read, the more you research, the more you ask questions & learn from other writers, the better you'll at writing you'll become; And one day you'll look back at what you've 'written and you'll say to yourself, "Y'know what? That's pretty damn good."

So bust out that pen & paper, open that notepad, and go write that story down. I can't wait to read what you'll come up with!