-10/23/23 You Can Do It!

So, do you think there's nothing left to write about? Everything under the sun has been covered? Well, you might be right but you could be wrong. Think about it for a second ... do you really think our world hasn't changed in the last 30-40 years? Oh, contraire, grasshopper. A lot has changed. For starters, let's look at technology. We live in a much different world than was when I was just a small kid. I remember thinking how cool it was when the local grocery store got these big black mats that they'd put in front of their doors. The moment you stepped on it, it'd trigger the door to open on its own, no hands needed. Now, I know to some of you this might seem trivial but trust me, if it didn't exist prior and now it did ... to a ten year old boy, it was cool. The only doors that opened on their own during this time was on TV aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise/Star Trek.

Just look around our world through social glasses and one could find a million things to write about. Social media. The shifts in what was once taboo that is mainstream and norm today, The way the world sees you (and vice versa). So many things one could write about, either flavored in fiction or non. So why aren't you writing? I'm talking to not only myself, but to you, the person who has always thought about clicking that story out that's been lingering in the back of your mind. Yeah, you know who I'm talking about, YOU. You came up with pretty cool concept, worked the gist out in your head, thought about it, thought some more, and more, and even told a person or two about it. Did they like your concept? Did they find your idea interesting? Yeah? Well, then write the damn thing. But don't write it for them ... write it for you. Not sure if you could do it? Guess what? You absolutely can.

C. A. T. spells the little furry thing that purrs at you from down around your ankles. 3 letters put together to tell someone exactly what was purring at you. You've already told them what color the thing was, descriptors. You told them how you felt about it, emotion. And you probably even told them whether you picked it up or brushed it aside with your foot, reaction. So, there your go ... a mini story. That concept lingering in the back of your mind is simply a bunch of little mini stories all tied together to tell one big story. Don't know where to start? Start with 1 sentence. Yes, just one. See if you could make that 1 sentence a outstanding. Image it was the only sentence that would ever be read by others.

*If I didn't know any better I'd think that my wife was planning on doing me in for the life insurance money.

*This has got to be the absolute best flavor of ice cream I have ever tasted.

*Two inches to the right and I would have been toast!

OK, so what would happen in the next 2 inches? Something gonna hit you? It already did but not in a fatal spot? That's your start, run with it. Just start typing/writing one sentence after another. If you feel like you need to put it down and come back later, do so, but definitely come back and take off again. Re-read your 1-2 sentences to regain your initial thoughts and then ready, set, go! Don't worry about the ending yet. Don't worry about getting everything right with each sentence you log because, trust me, you're probably gonna change something or tweak something before it's all said and done. Everybody does. If you write it from word 1 to word 500 without a single rewrite and it's a smashing hit, more power to you. You're a better writer than I. And speaking of, that's a trap you don't want to fall into. Yeah, there's always gonna be a King or a Patterson or someone else who is seasoned in what they do and you might feel like you are nowhere close to their level of creativity. Maybe you're not, so what. Maybe you are but just don't know it. Maybe you just need to get that one story out of your head and into readable form. Success comes first with the satisfaction of putting all the pieces together into a whole. Perhaps that's all you need. So, stop procrastinating and start it. Have you lost 65% of your original idea? Yeah, been there, done that. Got a concept? Write down the high notes until you're ready to dive into it head first. Sometimes it's difficult to remember all of your original thoughts, and that is a bummer, I know. But if you take those first baby steps ... you might just surprise yourself. The story might just pull you in.

I've been dragging my own feet and truly need to write more. Because the high that comes from it is rejuvenating and isn't illegal. So, go write.

Short and sweet but I have a bigger fish to fry and it's a vampire.

Always remember to feed your brain. You owe it to yourself.

Angelo

angelobain.com