A lot of people fail before they ever get started because they get in their own way.

This is bound to be a short article mostly because, well, getting started with a story is something that requires a lot of effort, but only a single step. You’ve likely heard that before, right? There are entire textbooks dedicated to the idea of writing, what it takes, and what it requires to help a story move forward. So I won’t take up a lot of your time, but I will say that starting a story is just about as tough as finishing one. The rest is just figuring out the details.

Keep it simple, don’t complicate things from the start.

A story is going to get complicated one way or another since the moving elements that make it work will eventually collide and create a bit of chaos that can spiral into utter madness very quickly. There’s no need to get into the mental thicket that quickly, especially since moving into it slowly and surely, while following an outline, will help to keep things sorted in some manner. There are a couple of ways to avoid getting bogged down that quickly, such as:

1. Brainstorming: This is one of the most basic methods you can use to create and refine an idea to be used at various points throughout the process. In fact, this is one of the best ways to get an idea rolling since it connects the various pieces of the idea that might come at different moments.
2. Outline: I know I’ve worked with plenty of outlines and they do help if your thoughts tend to scatter. Keeping things neat and tidy does help to keep the story rolling forward in a manner that avoids the habit of rambling on and on. It’s not perfect, but it’s a nice point of reference to have at hand.
3. Notes: This is reliable, but not nearly as much since notes can be lost, shuffled, or mixed up in various ways. From napkins to notebooks, notes are a very rough way to when it comes to piecing a story together.

How you go about putting your story together is up to you. But going freestyle isn’t a great way to do it, I’ll say that to each ear that’s willing to bend to listen.

Take the first step, then take another.

In other words, start out with the first sentence, then write the next, and then find your way through the first paragraph. Once you’re past that hurdle you’ll find that it gets a little easier with each sentence that comes after. You’ll no doubt need help as you progress, but that’s what sites like this are for. The help you need is the help you’ll eventually want.

Just don’t be shy about asking for help, take my word on that.