Three Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing

By Mason Nesbitt

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‍If you’re anything like me, one of the biggest hurdles to writing is getting started. 

I used to envision the writing process as one of unbridled inspiration; I would sit down and the words would simply pour out. In practice, that’s rarely been the case. I’ve gazed many times at a blank computer screen, endlessly stopping and starting and making little progress as half an hour turns into two. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are three ways to combat inertia and jumpstart your writing. 

1. Take the Pressure Off

I can’t remember where I heard it, but the best definition I’ve ever found for “writer’s block” goes something like this: It’s the difference between how you believe your writing should sound and what you’re actually thinking about putting on the page. 

We’re never stuck at the beginning of a writing project because we’re incapable of typing or putting pen to paper; it’s that what we’re about to write doesn’t sound prestigious, punchy, or professional enough to the peevish editor living within our brain. So we simply don’t write anything at all. 

One reason this happens is that most of the writing we read is already polished. When you pick up the Los Angeles Times or a recently published novel, the written copy has already undergone significant editing. The writer likely produced numerous drafts, before receiving constructive feedback from experienced editors. Spoiler: The stories you read with your morning coffee are not in their original form. 
So cut yourself some slack. Ernest Hemingway said, “The only kind of writing is rewriting.” Your project will improve as you continue to revise it. The key is to get started now. 

2. Write a ‘Zero Draft’

In his book Murder Your Darlings, Roy Peter Clark says writers benefit from “writing sooner than they think they can.” 

“Before a first draft, try a ‘zero draft,’ early scribblings that may not even reach sentence form,” Clark writes. “Freewriting – fast drafting without self-censorship – is another path toward liberation.” 

Some people prefer to write by stacking perfect sentence upon perfect sentence. If that works for you, great! But for many of us, that adds too much pressure, stunts creativity, and frankly, can be quite tedious. 

A zero draft frees you up. All you need is a general idea of what you’d like to write about and a willingness to go for it. Decide on a general direction for the writing, but don’t focus too much on whether the content fits perfectly together, just try to transition logically from one topic to the next. Also, forget about punctuation, spelling, or grammar. Don’t slow down to insert a line break. Just let your fingers fly across the keyboard, and don’t stop until you’ve covered everything you think you’d like to say. 

Ultimately, the zero draft becomes an outline, with some meat on it. You’ve gotten most of your thoughts onto the page in an order that can be readily rearranged. As Clark writes, you’ll also discover where the holes are. “In these early forms of writing, the goal is not communication,” he writes. “You write here to compile, remember, and gain knowledge. ‘What do I already know?’ you ask yourself. ‘And what do I still need to learn?’”

Along the way, you may discover subject matter you hadn’t planned on. (Originally, this blog post was going to be solely about zero drafts. But in writing a zero draft, I found the project could be expanded to these three tips.)

As a footnote, if you’re working on a biography or another long-form project, it isn’t practical to finish a zero draft of 10,000 to 20,000 words in one sitting. I would recommend first outlining your project, then tackling one chapter or section at a time. 

3. Rehearse Ahead of Time

Early on as a sports writer, I learned the value of rehearsal. High school football games would often end shortly before Friday night’s print deadline. I’d rush onto the field, wrangle a coach for a quote, sprint to my car, and drive (no more than 5 miles an hour over the speed limit) back to the office before cobbling together a coherent 400 words for Saturday’s paper. 

If I waited until I was safely back at my desk to begin writing, I may have lost my job. Instead, during the drive back, I’d mull over the coach’s best quotes, rewind the game’s key plays, and most of all, think about how to start the story in a way that instantly grabbed the reader’s attention. That way, when I got back, I could quickly write a zero draft and revise right up until deadline.

Start writing before opening your laptop. When you’re driving, doing the dishes, or walking the dog, use that time to rehearse. Think through how you’re going to open chapter five or how you’ll start your article. And when inspiration strikes, get it down on paper sooner than later, don’t assume that you’ll remember. 

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