In The Beginning…

Starting is always the hardest part. The most renowned books of all time start with impactful words.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

“It was a dark and stormy night”

“Call me, Ishmael”

Words that throw a hook (or harpoon for the last quote) and reel the reader in, and the hardest part of any book. Words that act like Atlas propping up the rest of that particular literary world.

I have a storyboard mapped out. I know where my book is going. But actually putting those first words on paper, the ones that hook the reader, set the tone, and introduce them to this world, is insanely daunting. Every time I sit down to write the beginning, I find myself second-guessing, and rewriting passages. Those words never sounding quite right.

So, instead of staring at the blinking cursor waiting for lighting to strike, I do something else. I switch my brain in to a different gear hoping to trick it in to a good idea. I build a part of the world. I create a new creature, flesh out a piece of technology, develop a cultural dish, or even dive into a background character’s personality. Anything to keep me working on the book. Anything to keep my brain moving, even if I’m not working on the first part of my book.

What I’ve realized through this process is that no idea is wasted. I’ve written three or four different versions of my book’s opening, and while none of them have felt quite right as the beginning, each one has found a place in my storyboard. Some became introductions to characters. Others laid the groundwork for larger concepts I want to explore. Some just exist as scattered thoughts waiting for the right moment to be used. But the important thing? I didn’t throw them away.

Every idea is worth keeping. Even the ones that don’t work now might lead to something later. They might sit in the “dungeon of bad ideas” for a while, but there’s a chance they’ll fit somewhere down the line.

For people like me—people who struggle with ADHD, executive dysfunction, or just an overactive mind—getting started is often the hardest part. There are too many ideas swirling around, and narrowing them down into a single, concrete starting point feels impossible. But once I finally do start, it becomes a snowball rolling downhill, gathering more and more as it goes. Sometimes I get distracted and go off on tangents, but at least the momentum is there. At least the ideas are moving.

Writing these blog posts feels like having a conversation with my future audience. I hope, someday, someone reads this and finds motivation in it. But this post. This one’s for me. It’s selfish in design to make me feel like I’m explaining the writing. I develop best through doing, and this “conversation” with the world is to help me set up. It’s my way of organizing my thoughts, getting them out into the world and understanding my creation a bit more. It’s a tool that reminds me that every start,no matter how rough or uncertain, is a step forward.

The perfect beginning isn’t what matters. It’s just about beginning.

One step, one idea, one page at a time.

K