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?

A New Writing Project

Christmas in Prague

We have visited Prague several times but never at Christmas, always in the summer. I love this picture of the city known as The Jewel of Europe dressed in snowy white. How lovely the Charles Bridge must look covered in snow with the river gliding underneath. Prague Castle must take on an even lovelier demeanor than usual in the winter scenes. 

Think about favorite places you have visited. Most of us do our traveling in almost any season but winter. What do you think Sweden is like in December? Or Paris? New York? San Francisco? Or your summer lakeside cabin? A national park where you camped? All of these places seem different in the chilled winter days.

What a perfect topic for an essay. Choose a spot and compare a summer visit to a winter one. What would change? What would stay the same? Would the people behave differently in summer and winter? What might you see in the shops in each season? How does each season affect you?

It's also a good start for a fiction story. Your hero meets a girl on a sunlit summer day and falls for her. What has changed by the time winter arrives and the city is lit up with holiday charm? Can he find her again in the darkness of the late winter afternoons or in a concert hall warmed by the music being played? 

Think about a favorite place and create a story, essay or poem describing it in winter. When I say 'think.' I don't mean to let it flit through your mind. Ponder on the whole idea for a day, or two, or more. The more you muse over it, the better you'll be able to write. 

Write about the feel of the air, the crunch of snow beneath your feet, the taste of the warm liquids people love in winter. What smells might there be from an outdoor Christmas market? What about the sound of sleigh bells? Or children playing? There are riches galore if you take the time to bring them to life in your mind. 

What is one of your favorite places to visit? Have you ever been there in the winter? Did you like it better than in the warm summertime? Keep thinking, then start writing. Nothing like a new writing project to kindle inspiration.