Often times when we get an idea for a new writing project our energy goes through the roof. We’re so excited about our new idea and to write about it that we can barely stand ourselves. Which can be a good thing. Or not. Sometimes the excitement of our desire also comes with it a hundred other ideas that ping in a thousand different directions, making us feel overwhelmed or unable to land and contain our idea.
In this video I share some strategies to help you drop into your idea, put a container around it, and start a discovery writing process so you can discern the pieces that are most important for you to write about right now.
And now, prompts to help jump start your discovery writing process:
I want to write a piece about …
My first thoughts about this include …
Every story I know about this …
The questions I have about ____ include … (write all the questions you can think of about your subject or idea. Then do a timed discovery write for each question that feels juicy.)
What I don’t know about ______ includes …
The scenes that must be in my story include …
What bugs the crap out of me about ______ (your subject area) is …
Don’t worry about complete sentences, transitions or good writing. Repeat yourself, dig deeper when an idea, word, or image feels less than true without editing or crossing anything out. Write to discover what you want to say!