Where Do You Start When You Don’t Know Where to Start?

I had a fellow dog walker ask me how did I get started writing my book? She said she felt she had a book in her, but she didn’t have a clue where to start? I told her you start by writing that first thought. That first word. That first sentence. In my book, Resistance is Futile, I wrote this as my first couple of lines:

Because I don’t know where to begin, I’ll begin here.

Right here. Right now.

The blank page is so intimidating. So white. So spacey and empty. Filled with the promise of success and the fear of failure.

I had read somewhere that everyone has at least one book in them, and I believe that to be true. Maybe it’s a memoir. Something they want to pass on to their family, their friends, the world at large. Maybe it’s a novel. Maybe it’s a self-help book, a way of giving back what they’ve learned during challenging or difficult times. Maybe it’s a dream they had that they want to weave into a story. Maybe it’s historical. Maybe it’s futuristic. Whatever it is, it’s there for the taking. But you have got to write that first sentence.

I think this applies to any creative pursuit. We have a thought in our head, something niggling at us, telling us in no uncertain terms it wants out! And then we stare at the blank page, the blank canvas, the unmolded lump of clay, or the uncarved piece of wood, and we don’t know where to begin. That first word though? That first brushstroke? That first touch of pressure on clay or that first cut into the wood? That’s liberating. It begins the creative process. It allows the creative juices to flow.  And the miracle of the artistic process has begun.

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), the White Rabbit asks the King where to begin in reading a letter submitted as evidence in the trial of the Knave of Hearts (who is accused of stealing the Queen’s tarts):

“Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?”

“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

I think this is good advice in pretty much all aspects of life, right? Whether you are creating a work of art, or beginning a diet or exercise regimen, or making a lifestyle change which better suits the person you would like to become. You start anything – anything – by taking that first step, regardless how small a step it is. The Universe, Spirit, Source – that which lives within you – will guide you if you let it. But it won’t do it for you.

I’ll admit, I struggle with my own sloth-like behavior at times and often lack motivation. For example, my first book, which probably could have been completed in less than a year, took three years. There were many fits and starts. Moments of self-doubt. Frustration. Disillusionment. But it eventually came together, partly though my perseverance, and partly through talking with others who nudged me along the way. Now, looking back? There are parts I honestly don’t even recall writing.

We all have a creative aspect that lives within us. Or a change we’d like to make. As I told my fellow dog walker, it begins with taking that first step. You just need to start. And I suggested she start with this:

I have a story I have to get out of my head…

It’s really that simple. Go. Write your book. Paint your painting. Create your masterpiece. It’s just waiting on you.

~jwb~