Starting a new writing project can be challenging. It’s a new idea. It’s in a genre you’ve never written before. It’s a screenplay when you mainly write novels. But here you are, ready to go.
And you freeze.
Creative Paralysis
Why does fear paralyze creative people? Why do we allow it to stop us from doing what we love? We clearly enjoy writing, crafting stories, and creating characters. So, why do we prevent ourselves from just sitting down and writing?
Allowing external forces to invade our creative space hinders our ability to be creatively free. With the overflow of content all around us 24/7, it can be overwhelming to tune it out and be in your own writer’s world for a few hours a day.
I’ve struggled with this, and it can be difficult to overcome. But I’ve had to overcome it and defeat it, and I know you can, too.
Taking That First Step
We may often feel like Indiana Jones staring into a vast chasm, our destination perilously out of reach with no possible way to reach it. But like Dr. Jones, we have to take that seemingly scary first step off the creative cliff and know – by faith or instinct – that there will be solid ground to catch us.
It really is a matter of trusting yourself and trusting your creativity. You have the idea; you know the story you want to tell and why you want to tell it. Take that first step and get the process going.
One Word at a Time
Every novelist, poet, screenwriter, and journalist starts at the same place with each new project: the blank page. Soon, they fill it with words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, scenes, characters, dialogue, and settings.
You can do that, too.
Get your story down on the page. One word at a time. Keep the flow going. Don’t like something? Yep, that happens. Fix it now, or fix it later. But keep writing. You are the only person who can prevent you from getting your story on the page. Don’t allow negative self-talk to affect your productivity. Write, write, and write some more.
One word at a time.
Poke Perfection in the Eye
Lack of faith in our creativity can happen since we’re surrounded by so-called “finished products” daily. But all the scripts, novels, and articles we encountered went through – hopefully – several drafts until they were worthy of publication or production.
A screenwriting professor I had once wrote on the board, “Write badly with pride.” This is an excellent motto for all writers and one that I encourage you to remember or write down and post near where you write.
A first draft is just that: a first draft. Once it’s out and on the page, you have multiple opportunities to improve it, fine-tune things, and make your work shine.
But you can’t do that if it’s stuck in your head.
Final Thoughts
By allowing yourself as a writer to take a leap of faith and trust yourself and your creative process, you give yourself power over your creativity. By shutting out negative external and internal forces that cause you to lose faith in yourself and your work, you can push through and begin writing that project that has been living in your mind for far too long.
So inhale, exhale, close your eyes, and take that first step toward creative fulfillment.
You’ll be glad you did.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
