We all know the feeling when you want to start a new project but instead just sit there and stare at a blank page or a blank screen instead. It's part of being a writer. So here's a few hints and tips on how to get around it (for more like this see my article on writer's block).

Not going to say that any of these are going to work for every writer out there but they work for me - just pick and choose what you want to try and get out there and start writing!

1: Get yourself a notebook. Now for me this can work one of two ways - either I go out and get the perfect notebook for the story I have in mind or the story idea comes to me when I look at the book. I find I can gain a lot of inspiration just from having a notebook that fits in with the world I am trying to create (hint: paperblanks are great for fantasy writing, anything in brown leather is good for dystopia).

2: But whatever you do, don't let not having a notebook stop you if you have a good idea. You can start scribbling away on any random scrap of paper, type as fast as you can just unleash your creativity for as long as the inspiration lasts. You can always come back and change things later.

3: And if you don't have much of an idea or just the inkling of one then sit down and plan what kind of a world you want. Is it past, present, or future? Fantasy or sci-fi or a reflection of real life? Alternate universe or our own in a distant future? Once you've done that you can come up with characters who fit into this world and decide how the land around them might have shaped them.

4: Don't worry if you're unsure how to start off. I'm no stranger to the feeling that you have a great story and great characters but you can't quite do justice to them with your opening. And openings are a fuck tonne of pressure - you know you have to drag a reader in from the first line or they'll get bored and leave.

So write an opening. Don't like it? Don't delete it! Save it, write another. And another. As many as you need. Chop them up, combine them. Get the sense that you want out of your story.

5: Now it's time for you to start world building. Not sure how to go about this? Here are some questions you can think about that will give you a good starting point: What rules are in place here? Rules like gravity and the rules of society. What punishments are there for breaking those laws? What kind of government does this world have? Who has power and who doesn’t? What do people believe in here and what does this society value most? Then it’s time to think about day to day life in this world. What’s the weather like here? Where do the inhabitants live and work and go to school if they do at all? How do they treat their young and their old and their animals? Do those animals look like the ones we know or not? What kind of technology exists? Think about the uses of that technology: transportation, communication, access to information.

6: Once you’ve spent time considering these questions you’re ready to sit back and see what happens. Think about the world’s set-up and what kind of conflict is likely to emerge here – that will be the basis for your story.

Find this helpful? Got something to add? Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments below. Bye for now!

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