Where to Start

 Note: This was originally published in March 2021. Due to an error through Blogger, where my post was incorrectly flagged as violating polices, it was taken down. This happened to other users posts as well. Though the error was corrected and my post was reinstated, this text will likely post with a new date.

I have heard from others and have often said myself, “The hardest part is getting started.” It’s often said because it’s true. Starting gives you momentum to keep going. In a recent example, I was already writing this blog entry in my head right after my first return post on this 2021 calendar year. Writing creates more writing.

Starting is intimidating for me when I see a massive project before me. It’s too overwhelming to tackle, and I just don’t know where to pin point that initial dive in. I have a million or more ideas, but executing them is a different story. Polishing them and assuring they are readable and enjoyable is even more daunting.

However, I have been learning about approaching projects in other aspects of my life. One of my interests right now is purging stuff I don’t need from my home while studying minimalism. Part of me wants to dive into my journey as I go through this process. Another part of me wants to write about my current health flare. I’d also love to write about child care and creative learning projects. There are so many things to write about. It’s exciting! Right now, however, I’ll keep writing about my process of well…writing. It’s a start!

Fear and inexperience are what hinder me from practicing writing. What scares me the most about large writing projects is the editing. Vomiting words on the page is much easier than trying to tame them. More particularly, I struggle with self-editing. I set myself up for this issue, unfortunately. I stayed away from a teacher in college who I could have learned a great deal from simply because her demeanor frightened me. If I could do college all over again, I would take some of her classes. Despite this avoidance in the past, I have gotten better at self-editing shorter pieces of writing, but I freeze when I think of editing my novel.

I still don’t know exactly where I want to go from here with my writing, but I have arrived at the keyboard on day two of this journey of my attempt to improve my skills. I do know I want to get more personal and less vague. It’s time for some real talk, though there will likely be some more mindless wandering or journal-like release pieces as I figure this out.

I think I’m going to write about a difficult topic soon as the timing is personal to me even as I write this. For now, I must rest as I am writing in the early hours of the morning once again. I will try to bring more words to the page later today.