New projects: how to start, how to finish
And still love the project
Good morning wordicorns and scribblers,
Don’t we all love that new feeling, the smell of new? I mean, we talk about it with cars, with babies, with houses and haircuts and electronics and shoes and… you get it.
With manuscripts, it can be both wonderful and terrifying.
First, there’s the sparkly idea with new characters to chat with and places to explore, colors and textures to describe, plots to flesh out, subplots to twist and tease the reader. Then, there’s the blank page and the first letter of the first word of the first sentence.
I thought today we could break down one of a million ways to make starting something from scratch a little less Big, but maybe also take a little shiny from it. I know you’re wanting to close this tab or delete this email right now. Why would I take the shiny from it? Because we don’t like to play with shiny.
We want to stare at the new shoes, wait for the perfect day to wear them. We want to keep the baby a baby forever, not allow it to grow into something beautiful and whole and older. We want to leave the plastic cover on our microwave panel so the buttons don’t get scratched, even though it makes it harder to press.
So I want you to enjoy the new for the entire process. Don’t let it ever be so precious or so overwhelming you can’t jump in or finish it.
We’re going to do a little quiz first, okay? I think this will help you help yourselves along the way. There are no wrong answers, and there is no judgment behind them either. I got the questions and answers from my own experiences, after all.
Are you starting something new because:
A) You finished something, took a break, and are ready to go again.
B) You finished something, are too itchy to take a break, so you need to go again.
C) You didn’t finish something because it’s driving you insane, so you need a distraction.
D) You didn’t finish something because it’s driving you insane, and you want to step away from it, try something new, maybe go back later.
E) You didn’t finish something just because you didn’t, and you are ready for something different.
F) A combination I didn’t list but is still super valid. (I just can’t list every option.)
If you answered A, great, let’s goooo.
If you answered B, maybe take a little bit longer with the exploration part of the starting something new so you don’t burn out.
If you answered C or D, I’m glad you recognized that your other work wasn’t right (for now, at least). Maybe take a little bit longer with the exploration part of the starting something new so you don’t burn out, as well. If one project was killing you, you want to enjoy the next one.
If you answered E, it could be that you’re ready to go, go, go or that you should also play a little bit. Think about how you’re feeling when you’re not being creative. Are you tired? Maybe take a little bit longer with the exploration as well.
If you answered F, I’m assuming one of my other answers resonated a little bit, at the very least. If they didn’t, maybe you’ll need to do some soul searching. But I believe you can find the right answer.
The most important part, no matter what you answered, is that you keep your brain and body in mind. You can’t just bounce back from burnout. It takes a while. So don’t put yourself in that space.
Now, on to the fun part.
step 1: find the project off the page
This is the time to find what your story will look and feel like when you sit down to write it. Know that no matter how much you plan for, discovery writing, second and third drafts, comments from your beta readers, time apart from the draft, and even events in your own life can change this. But it’s so helpful to have a jumping off point beyond an outline.
Photos
Find images that fit how the book is in your head.
Does it have a color palette? (Think Wes Anderson’s distinct palettes per movie.)
Do you know what characters look like yet? Maybe you find some photos of people that look like them so you can reference them throughout the process. Or this can help you narrow down who should be in it, if you don’t know yet.
How about the rooms/places?
Remember that these are not meant to be stolen. If you describe a work of art to the letter, mention the artist’s name, for instance. These are for inspiration.
Music
Is there a mood to your book?
Are there songs or sounds that help you write better?
This is a great time to make a playlist on Spotify, Youtube, or just your computer so you can sit down and hit play when it’s time.
Art
If you make art, maybe you want to use this time to get into the book by creating something related to it. You can do this part (and all of these really) throughout the writing process. But it’s nice to get started early to get a feel for things.
step 2: finding your POV and tense
No matter whether you have a sentence or a full outline about the plot of your story, you don’t know what point-of-view and tense you’re writing in.
Okay, so you may say, I absolutely do. But then you start writing. It’s good. But what if it could be great? Have you tried other things?
Story in verse?
Third person versus your usual first?
Are you sure this isn’t a present tense story?
It’s easy to sit down and go. But it’s more fun and beneficial to sit down, write a few paragraphs, and play. They’ll probably be a little wobbly anyhow. You don’t know the character’s voice, even if you know the character. You don’t know where to start even if you do know where to start. Which sentence is the strongest won’t be something you’ll know until you finish the book. You just need to start writing.
What a perfect time to try new things on your new thing.
So take those first two paragraphs and try them in different tenses, from different POVs. Consider other characters and whether or not they would tell this story better. Maybe the story focuses around one character but is told by another?
Even if the tense or POV is unfamiliar to you, it’s worth testing.
I started writing in first person because of just this. I wrote a page. I wrote the page in third, in first, in past, in present, from two people’s POVs. I wasn’t far in. This wasn’t a chore. I had the hubs read it without telling him what I wanted from him. I just said, hey, what are your thoughts.
He said one was much stronger, though I used a lot of the same sentence structure. So I had a choice: go with the stronger option and work on my sentences, maybe read a craft book or two, keep playing and see what happened as I got more comfortable or go with what I knew, what he said didn’t pack a punch.
I wrote the first draft. I bought the craft books. I ignored most of what they said. I took what I needed. I wrote the second draft. And I have been doing the same thing for every book since.
step 3: allow for meandering, discovery, and don’t go backwards
Now, you begin the new project. What?? Only two steps before we start?
Well, the first step might take you weeks or months, depending on your time, depending on how much fun you’re having, depending if you see yourself gravitating towards darker or lighter images than you expected, so maybe the story isn’t what you thought in terms of theme or genre. So, yeah, only two steps.
But this step isn’t about completing anything. This step is about writing, discovering, failing, not looking backwards.
The most important part of a new project, the bit that takes the shiny away more than anything is this step, the bit that keeps you from going back when you have a better idea.
Nope. Don’t do it.
Write it down. Make a note about where you think it would fit, and move forward. Write the story as if you’ve already made that change. You’ll add it in later, after all.
But going back might kill your momentum. Suddenly, you see the sentences that could be better, characters that could have more depth, and you’re lost to the editing.
Instead, just press on. First drafts can be wonderful or shitty or missing pieces or filled with question marks or whatever. Maybe you call it a zero draft because you want to change that much. What matters is you allow yourself to wander through the story, try this subplot or that. See if this character is worth knowing or not. Discover.
Do that, and you’ll enjoy step 4.
step 4: everything else
Okay, whether it’s your zero draft or first draft that’s done, it doesn’t matter. You’ve found the story, the voice, the vibe, the tenses, the subplots. You’ve probably gotten new, more accurate photos and changed up your music choices to fit what you need best. You’re in the best place possible to make this project beautiful.
The reason we do it this way is simple: you’ll still love the project by the end. I took away some of the shiny that has us staring at the page trying to come up with the perfect synonym for ocean and left the shiny that keeps us smitten with the work.
Or at least, that’s how it works for me.
When I break this habit, try to move the pieces around, I end up treading water, hating a project, banging my head against the wall, then, eventually, starting something new.
