You've planned your ideas, character arcs and nailed the plot twist - it all works!
Now what?
Beginnings can be awful, can't they? A white blank page is staring you in the face and all you can think about is how poignant you hope the ending is going to be, or how juicy the twist will be when you reveal all in the third act - if only you could get going in the first place.
The intimidating nature of starting from scratch is what stops so many people from penning their first novel or writing up their first screenplay. Speaking with a number of people after starting my workshop night for new writers in Bristol, I've listed a couple of issues that can hold creatives back from making that all important start.
First things first: Don't worry about it
Your first draft will be the worst draft and whilst this sounds like a negative approach to take with your work, it doesn't have to be. When directing my first play I accidentally stumbled across a phrase that I've been using for myself ever since: "And it's only going to get even better".
Being precious about your work is never advisable, but it is important for you to recognise what you like about what you've achieved so far. When things get tough (and you're a creative, at some point they will) you'll need that confidence to see you through to the other side.
Don't care what people think... yet
Now is not the time to second guess. If you're worried an idea won't work then it's much better to get it out of your mind and onto a notepad quickly before it trickles into the narrative anywhere else. Once that happens if it isn't any good, nobody has to see it - unless you're unlucky enough to be deemed a genius and have your drafts put out on display in a museum, by which time I doubt you'll care.
Bad ideas (or more accurately, ideas that you think are bad) are not good for your confidence either. If they're left to sit for long enough they can even tempt you to ditch the whole idea.
This isn't to say that you should never abort a project, at some point we all have terrible ideas that need putting a stop to, but problems are easier to spot when you can see them. You could save yourself a year of brooding by jotting it down and scribbling it out if you dislike it that much.
Now you're able to separate things out with a little more clarity, you'll still have some aspects of your new creation you're not so sure about, which brings me to my next point...
Hear it, don't fear it
We like to be validated and encouraged to keep writing. We don't like being told we're wasting our time with a story we're invested in, which is why it's difficult to resist the temptation of taking our most polished work to show other people.
Whilst there are times you will need to check in on your editing, to ensure you aren't going round in circles and potentially making the improved article even worse, it's not providing you with the best experience. You aren't really learning anything by having a room full of people remind you about what already works, as comforting as that is.
Feedback needs to be constructive in order for you to trust it, but the value of finding an outside opinion that can help you fix what's wrong, faster is far greater than demonstrating your skill to a small audience.
Filter the bad stuff out of your work as quickly as possible, so you can get back to what you really love: creating exciting new stories.
So, are you ready to improve?
What do you think? Comment and share below and remember to subscribe at the bottom of the page for more articles like this!
Comments