How to Get Started with Your Writing...

If you’ve never written before, getting started can feel like a nightmare 😬. You might think:

“I don’t know what to write. How do I begin? Aren’t writers full of ideas? Maybe I’m not a writer!”

In my workshops, we start with Automatic Writing ✍️. This is a technique once used by spiritualists to channel voices from beyond; later it was used by surrealist poets to tap into dream‑logic and the unconscious; and more recently it's been used by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way (“Morning Pages”).

🔹 Automatic Writing
Start with a random sentence 📚🪧—a road sign, a book cover, even a receipt. Try: “The next bus will arrive at 3:05 pm…”
⏱️ Set a 10‑minute timer.
🖊️ Write fast, without stopping.
💡 Don’t censor yourself. Let wild, strange images spill onto the page.

Example:
“The next bus will arrive at 3:05pm and take us to forbidden destinations normally reserved for the worst kinds of flurry, which naturally take a long time to make at the McDonalds voucher reservation kindling the curry men without their pants in a slow brainstorm of God’s most wily henchmen.” etc., etc.

It doesn’t need to make sense! What matters is raw material. Later, pull out one little spark—a “bus ride,” a “forbidden destination”—and use it to begin or shape a new piece of writing 🌱

🔹 Vomit Draft
From a screenwriting workshop 🎬: a messy, no‑filter splurge. Once you have a seed idea, jot down:
👥 Characters
🌍 Setting
🎭 Tone/genre
📖 Possible plot threads
The magic’s in the mess. As the saying goes: “You can’t edit a blank page.” ✨
Underline what you like ✅, cross out what doesn’t ❌, and shape the rest. Most novels go through 3+ professional edits 📝, so don’t expect perfection first go.

🔹 One‑Pager
A simple profile to make your book feel real 📚:
1️⃣ Name
2️⃣ Genre
3️⃣ Synopsis
4️⃣ Main Characters
5️⃣ Key Scene
6️⃣ Setting
7️⃣ Why readers need this story now

🔹 Reading
Stuck? Read—voraciously 📖✨. Stack favourites, set the intention to read all year, and keep a notebook handy for sudden sparks 💡.

🔹 Brainstorming with a Friend or Coach
Writing doesn’t have to be lonely 🤝. Share ideas weekly to:
💬 Bounce ideas
⚡ Spark new twists
📈 Stay accountable

Together, automatic writing 🖊️, a vomit draft 🌀, a one‑pager 📄, reading 📚, and collaborative brainstorming 🤝 can take you from blank page to real story.
Above all: just write something. Even if messy—it’s the key to everything. 🌟

Cheers!

—A Write & A Pint