How do you get started?

I often spend time thinking about writing processes, my own and the authors I have interviewed. Of course I have learned that there is no one process for any individual writer or project, and there is no one way to begin. Over the last week, I have worked on several writing tasks, and I began them all in different ways.

Book review 1 began with notes I dictated into TypeNote as they came to me.

Book review 2 began with me scribbling responses to an evaluation sheet I created.

Article 1 began while reading other articles. I wrote comments in the pdf file that “talked back” to the author about what I was thinking and experiencing influenced by the information I had collected about the topic.

Article 2 began with an outline. I scoffed at outlines when former teachers required them, but now they are my saving grace when I need to narrow a topic or share how I conceive of an article/book with a writing partner.

What does this mean?

How is this useful?

How will knowing this help me write better, quicker (I am always writing to deadline.)?

I don’t have the answers to these questions, but they seem important to me.

As a novice writer, I often chide myself for not getting started.

If I continue to document the details of how I’ve gotten started in the past, I might be able to create a list of options to try when I just can’t get going.  

This list has also taught me to be understanding of students who experience this problem, but beyond being understanding, it gives me some concrete strategies/suggestions to share with them.