Lately, I’ve had a hard time getting my ideas down in a manner I’m proud enough to publish. With a growing list of ideas and drafts, I’m finding it harder focus on a single idea. Rather than sit down and force myself to get something out each week, the recent changes to my approach to the blog have given me a bit too much time to linger with ideas.
The Importance of Starting
Sometimes the biggest challenge is getting started. Staring at a blank page is painful when waiting for inspiration to settle in.
The best way to get started is to just begin typing words. The ideas don’t even need to be coherent or make sense grammatically. Opening the flow from the mind to the page is the goal.
There will be times when a word or idea will get caught up. It might be trying to find the right word or phrasing, but going with the first thing that can give enough of an idea later is best. The point of starting is to deal with the editing and fine tuning later. Once the words are on the page, the idea will form more concretely.
It is difficult to always know how a piece of work will turn out before it’s been started. While only in the mind, it has too much room to shift around and change, but once started, it begins to find structure.
The Importance of Finishing
While not all projects require a final checkbox to be considered a success, having it in some state of completed is a good way to leave it behind with some degree of catharsis.
I find this especially true when it comes to sharing ideas. Every perspective on an idea has something new to offer. Sitting on a pile of drafts is preventing some ideas and perspectives from seeing the light of day.
Something to keep in mind is that finished today doesn’t mean finished forever. An idea can always be revisited. A version two released. A post edited or updated. The finish line today can serve as the starting line tomorrow.
Becoming a serial starter is an easy slope to stumble on, I am certainly one battling that now. After years of brief starts with little left to show for it, I’m trying to put my energy into more substantive projects. I have some ideas for where I want to put that energy, but am weighing them before getting the ball rolling.
Trying Out Before Buying In 