Aaargh.....how to begin my short stories....

[NITA]

Aarrgh right that's it... i have collected and researched and note-taking etc...I wan tto begin my book.
Actually start the first draft. I love folktales and fairytales from around the world. I have collected some and now with a twist of me turn them around, up side down, inside out...add something new...some have become songs and poems....trying to sort through and find a beginning....but now the handbrake is on...and Aargghhhh....i have time? tick....space? tick......to write...everything is set, ready to go....so here i am creative community...any tips, advice, good words to get me going....I wan to stay well away from the big 'P' WORD LOL LOL

I AM DOODLING RIGHT NOW AND REMAINING ONLINE AND HERE FOR COMFORT...BEFORE I GET TOO ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED WITH MYSELF....LOL

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

I just picked up a great illustrated book called WORLD MYTHOLOGY and read a bit in it last night ... I wouldn't know how to begin to change any of these ancient tales to put a bit of "me" into them except for perhaps relating my experience in light of the myth or archetype. Doodling sounds good ... for me the act of the visual play would probably spark a starting point eventually ... best of luck to you Nita and patience to let it come as it will :)

[Valerie K]

Sit down. Start writing.

What I have found helpful is the NaNoWriMo model. In its specific form, it's 50,000 words written in 30 days, but generally you can follow this basic structure: set a word count for everyday, and then don't stop until you fill that quota. It's the only guaranteed way I can successfully finish a first draft of anything big. Word count and looming, scary deadline.

Rough drafts are just that. Rough. You do not seek perfection, you seek quantity. Julia Cameron's saying, "God, You take care of the quality, I'll take care of the quantity" applies here. Get something, anything, down on paper. Don't read it. You will edit it later. A largish wordcount and a limited time to accomplish it tends to override the inner critic and editor. They don't get to play in this part of the process.

There are toys and gimmicks to get you there, and support groups (July No Wri Mo is one that is getting going in the next two days) but those are the basics. Accountability is helpful, too. If you report your daily progress in your blog, it is an incentive to keep going as well.

If you need an accountability partner, ask. I am behind on a bunch of short pieces, and thought I would take the month of July to pursue them. We can support each other if you wish.

Good luck. The how is to do it. God knows if I can write (five novels) this way, you can.

Val K