Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Mary Poppins had it right.

Once begun is half done right?



That’s the way that I’ve always heard it. I definitely think that this phrase applies to writing. At least for my writing. I hate to commit anything to paper (or screen) that isn’t phrased precisely how I would like it to be. Because of this, I have issues getting my first sentence out. I know that this is an issue for a lot of students, and maybe even for a lot of people who happen to call themselves writers, but that doesn’t really make it easier to get over.

I’m not sure just what the difference is, but once I’ve got that first sentence and my thoughts are going, I definitely don’t have a problem spitting out anything that comes to mind.



For some reason that first line needs to be something that I feel I’m definitely going to keep, but the rest of it can be complete crap, and I’m comfortable with knowing that I can throw it out later. What’s so different about that first line? I don’t have an answer here, because I almost always end up getting mad at myself, forcing myself to get over it, and just typing anything that will come through my fingertips.

I know that sometimes I’ve thought of the perfect phrasing for the idea I want to convey, but by the time I can get to the computer or a paper I won’t lose, I can’t remember the exact way that I’ve put it, and I get stuck on recreating whatever it was I had before.

I give the advice to other people all the time that no matter what it is, get it out and you can edit it later, so why can’t I follow my own advice? Well, tonight I did. I’m still not happy with what it is that is my first sentence for my Writer’s Autobiography, but I have some time planned tomorrow to edit it, and I may be able to find something else that I’m happy with.

If this works, I think I might be just a little more confident in passing on this advice in the future!

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