Doing the unthinkable... getting started.

So, yeah... you want to write a novel or a story or a poem or a play, but you're not sure exactly how to start.

First, you probably should ask yourself, "Why do I want to write something?" If the answer is:

• "Because I want to make money..."
• "Because I want to impress people..."
• "Because I'm bored..."

Well, that's not the best motivation. You have to write for one reason and one reason only:

You have a story to tell.

You should have this yearning to be a storyteller, whether it's sci-fi, fantasy, romance, drama, nonfiction...

There should be this SPARK of an idea that you fan and feed until it becomes a growing fire, one that slowly fuels your inspiration and urges you forward.

Some days the spark sputters and spits, verging on going out, while other days it becomes an all-consuming conflagration that reaches into your soul. It's a process. You can't control exactly how a fire burns, and you can't control everything about a story.

It should be organic, moving, growing, and allowed to move at its own pace. If you force it, you'll stifle that creative energy, but you should push yourself to write. An object in motion stays in motion, said Newton. But, an object at rest doesn't freakin' move at all.

Find your spark, and breathe life into it.

Write.