Ask an Author: How Do I Start?

 Writing a novel is like painting a canvas. You start with a blank page and through your own skill and imagination something must take form. Like a painter's brushstrokes, the way you string words together will create something new, something beautiful, something important. 

But how on earth do you go from a blank word processor to a full-length novel?

Some say that you should read books you love, study grammar, and learn the manners and techniques required to hone your technique. 

I disagree. 

There's a time and place to learn the correct location of a comma, and it is NOT when you're staring at a blank screen. There's always time to enjoy a new story or return to one of your favorites, but do this because you want to, not because you think your swashbuckling pirate story is going to somehow emulate the imagery of Herman Melville if you read Moby Dick.

So what do I suggest?

Just write. 

Write the story that burns beneath your skin. Tell the experiences harbored deep within your heart. Write of injustices and prejudice. Write of peace and love. Whatever drives you, just write it down. 

Every rough draft is awful. I like to call it my beloved garbage. It's that bad. It stinks. It's a disorganized heap. But it's written, and if something is written it can be improved. A painter can't fix a mistake in a painting if they never started in the first place. 

So just write it down. 

Don't worry about typos and verb tense and conjugations. Don't worry about chronology and tone and metaphor. There is time to hone your craft and learn these skills, but not before your ideas have taken rudimentary shape on the page. 

An author's journey begins with one word on a page. 

Write that word. 

You won't regret it.