Beginning A New Writing Project

Recently, I encouraged writers to look into their files for unfinished stories, poems, essays and more and to start working on them again. It's a good idea because too many get left long enough that we don't even know they exist.

But beginning a whole new project is something special. Maybe you've thought about it for a long time, spent your walking time making mental notes as to what you want to include and how to proceed.  A new project deserves some careful thought and perhaps even a bit of research. It doesn't always happen that way, however. 

The day arrives when you know you're ready to put yourself at the keyboard and begin writing. It's new. It's fresh. It's exciting. As the poster above says, there is a bit of magic in beginning a new story. 

Maybe part of the magic is that you have a blank piece of paper or screen in front of you and you can go in any direction. You are the magician who waves the wand and directs the writing. It's not, of course, as simple as waving a wand. If only! 

You are in charge of this new piece of writing. You choose which direction it takes. That's what makes it exciting although there are moments where we get stuck and don't know what direction to go. I'm there now on a story for kids. I have a boy who is terrified to cross bridges and he has to do it in a horrible storm. He sees an apparition of his dead grandmother at the far end of the narrow bridge. My problem is that once he gets across the bridge, I don't know what will happen next. He's actually running away from a welfare worker so he has to keep running but.... I'll figure it out. What I do know is that it was fun to begin a new story for kids, something I haven't written in a long time.

I hadn't given a lot of thought to the story I'm writing. The beginning popped into my head one day and I started writing. That proves I'm a pantster, not a planner. I often write without an outline, or by the seat of my pants--creating as I go. Either way is fine. We do whatever works best for us. 

How about you? Do you have the idea for a new writing project? Are you ready to begin? Do you need that extra nudge or will you suddenly know when the time is right? Will you trust in the magic of beginnings?