How to Start Writing
When You Don’t Know What to Write About
There are still times when I don’t know what to write.
Like – right now.
In fact, I had this problem a lot in the beginning when I first started writing in a journal: When I first started writing things “my own way”. Probably because I always had a sort of vision of how I wanted my writing to feel, but when it comes to putting those feelings into words, there’s a disjunction between the two, and brain can’t come up with the right words.
All in all, yes. Finding words is hard.
So – when you don’t know what write, it’s best just to write about it. If it comes to it, sometimes I’ll just write it over and over again:
“I don’t know what to write about…
What should I write about…”
Eventually, you start thinking about something else and you start writing those thoughts down that end up becoming something.
Because instead of having those high expectations for what your writing should be, you go into a place where you can just freely write because you’ve already written something down; The truth in that moment down. And from that moment onwards, you lay down something very important in the groundworks of your writing process:
You put expectation aside and you put your genuine self first.
No matter how small and meaningless you think your words may mean at first – I promise you, all of our words start out like that.
So when you can get past wanting perfection, and just being able to write to write, you start going somewhere in your writing. And the places you end up, turn out being the most unique and far-fetched of ideas and words anyone could come up with, simply because you begin those words with a train of thought that starts from the truth of you.
So give it a try! I believe some call it free writing or stream of consciousness writing, but no matter what you call it, it’s a great exercise for getting the writing process to become a regular thing for your mind.
The more you write, the more easily your thoughts and spurs of creative inspiration will flow onto paper. I think this is where writing and creating art cross paths in similarities: There will be days when you feel inspired to create and days where the inspiration is drained and completely empty.
As a creative, it’s important to create everyday, no matter what kind or how big or small.
It’s the act of practicing that will develop you further than any second of inspiration ever will.
So write! And see where your run-on sentences take you!
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