Getting started with writing

Getting started writing can be difficult. It can be difficult because you don't have any ideas of what to write. And it can be difficult because you have too many ideas flying around in your head. So what do you do? Give up?

Lie down and hope your pen is magic and will write by itself? No! Of course not, instead you use one of these four tricks to get started! Trick number one: Write exactly what you are thinking in the moment. This is called Free writing.

If you think "I have no ideas", or; "I have so many ideas but I don't know which is best" then you write precisely that! Then you keep writing for five minutes, just let the words flow freely, without considering structure or spelling. The purpose of free writing is to get your writing started. The important thing isn't what you're writing but that you're writing. The best that can happen is that you get a useful idea, that you can catch, and then continue from there.

Trick number two: Go looking for inspiration! You can also pick up ideas from what other people have been writing; in newspapers, blogs, or works of fiction. If it's a factual text you need to write; then read other factual texts on your subject. You'll learn the facts and you'll figure out what should go in your text. Is it a short story you're writing?

Well, then read other short stories. You'll get a lot of ideas about how a story starts and ends for example; and that can be of great help for your own text. You will also get a feel for how a scene can be described or how a character in your story can be portrayed. If you are writing a news article you should of course read news articles. There are many different kinds of article, so choose carefully those which suit what you are going to write.

Browsing through images and photographs is a good way to get inspiration from how places and people look. Having vivid images in your head, that you use to describe your characters and scenes, makes it easier and more fun to write. And of course, you can take your inspiration from reality. Think about people you know or have seen. Maybe they have qualities or looks that you can give to your characters.

Have you been to places that trigger strong emotions in you? Can you use these as inspiration for your text? Trick number three: make a mind map. A mind map is a tool for giving your text structure. If you have a good basic shape, it's easier to get going and develop your text around it.

Create a mind map, and use keywords to structure your text; how will the text start, what will it include and how will it end? You can also use a mind map when you create a character in a story. Use keywords to lay the foundation of the person's characteristics and situation. Fourth and final trick: Talk out loud. Start talking to yourself, as if you were explaining to a friend what you're about to write.

Tell your story, argue your viewpoint, or describe your conclusions. This is often helpful in making the ideas clearer, and you suddenly know what to write, and where to begin. There you go! Four practical tricks for how to get started with your writing. It might be enough to use just one of these tricks, or you can combine them.

Just find a way that suits you. Hope you have been inspired to start writing!