Starting a new WIP and why it’s hard

Writing is tough. I can’t count the hours I’ve spend staring at a blank Word document, hoping to find a way to wrap my mind around what exactly I want to write. It gets easier the more you do it though, like with most things, but for me, every new WIP is both amazing and insanely hard.

It’s amazing because it’s this new, bright, sparkling, shiny idea I want to grow and cherish. But ideas are fun. Ideas are easy. They come to life in your mind, characters interact and if you’re lucky, enact entire scenes. The story takes shape in your head and it’s freaking amazing because your imagination can take you anywhere. All options are open; you’re on a rollercoaster of awesomeness.

Then comes the hard part. If you want to share this gem of brilliance with the outside world, you’ll have to write it down. And that’s where things get tougher. It’s not the writing an sich that’s difficult, it’s starting it. Because you’re looking at a blank file and you realize you need to sweat, cry and bleed to get those 60,000 or more words out, and in the end, they may not even be good. Half of what you’ll write, you’ll have to scratch. The other half will need to be rewritten and revised and edited once more.

Those first 10k words are pure hell. it’s a constant struggle with myself. Will it be worth it? What if the story sucks? What if I get stuck halfway through? Do I even have the energy to write this down?

With some stories more than others. With some, the first 10k is a blast, like with “Adagio”. With others, it’s the toughest part of the book. But once I get past that initial 10k, I’m happy because I know the book has a shot to be finished. Mind you, a shot. Doesn’t mean we’re there yet.

It’s only halfway in that I get some kind of hope I’ll make it to the end. Once the first draft is done, I’m in it for the end. I’ll bite through the editing and revising and what not, but as long as I don’t have that first draft on paper, it can be a yay or nay. That’s one of the reasons why I prefer writing children’s books. It’s easier to get through that first draft quickly than for an adult book, which is much longer.

What about you? What’s the hardest part for you about starting a new WIP?