Writing Yourself In

Where does the story really begin?

One of my first tips for editing almost any piece of writing is to think about where the story really starts.

The thing is, in writing we need to find our way into what we are trying to say. Just like with exercise where we need to warm up before getting into the ‘real’ part of the exercise, I would argue we need to do the same when writing. Often, we need to write a paragraph or two just to warm up our writing chops, to soften, to deepen into the story, into writing. Then once the ink is warm, the story really begins.

Photo by Nicolas Thomas on Unsplash

My clients will tell you that I’m often suggesting they lop of the beginning of their chapters/stories/articles and start later, usually around paragraph three. Often that’s where the story really gets going, the rest is just proverbial stretching.

I talked about this before in regards to novels, suggesting that you can often start at chapter three. And I would argue that it’s the same with short stories and chapters, they often start about three paragraphs in.

Here’s a little challenge: Grab a story or chapter you are working on and see if you can identify when the story really gets going or where you start saying what you really want to say. Is it in the first line or have you written yourself in?

Let me know in the comments…

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Writing this newsletter is an act of love and joy. I am committed to delving into the beautiful, the messy and the sublime that is this act of creating through words. Ultimately, my goal is to remind you that you are Write As You Are.

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Mentoring

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

As of August, I’ll be opening up two extra spaces for mentoring clients.

If you’ve found yourself stuck on a writing project or if you need some support getting started or if you’d just like to live a life more in tune with your creative dreams, I’d love to hear from you!

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