Where to begin?

Have you ever been in a situation where you just haven’t known where to start?

This has been me for the last week. I have everything under the sun to support me, every resource available, every idea that I need – yet I have been baffled as to where I should start. Guess what, I eventually did! Having a lot of ideas and not knowing which idea to expand first can be a problem even though there are far worse problems in the life of a writer, like writers block. If you can relate to this dilemma, whether you're a writer or not, I’d like to share what I did with you, in the hope that it will inspire you to break out of the ‘Where do I start’ syndrome.

• I chose to focus on just one thing. In this case, it was writing a character analysis on one person in the novel I’m working on at the moment. It meant I stayed focused on this one character in depth.
• Sometimes working in the same environment can get a little monotonous, so if you don’t change it up at some point things can get stale – which is why I decided to change the location of where I usually work from ( If this isn’t possible, then change something about the look of the area that you work in. Perhaps a new pot plant, turn your computer around, sit on the opposite side etc)
• With my one focus already decided and my ‘new’ working location all set, I decided to write a checklist that I could tick off once each task was completed. Yes, I know it is a bit nerdy, but whatever gets you going, right?
• You guessed it, the first two points on the checklist were (1) Choose only one focus, and (2) Change where you normally work from. Bingo! Immediately I have two check boxes that I could tick off as done. Super nerdy, but guess what, it made me feel good!
• Feeling inspired, I proceeded to make the next best decision. I say ‘the next best decision’ because if you are teetering on the ‘where do I start’ syndrome, then making a decision could trigger the cycle again. So, by making the next best decision, you are taking action and moving forward.
• Can you see where this is heading? It is a positive way to move forward, without over complicating things or having possible triggers that send you back to the beginning.

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Needless to say, the ‘Where do I start’ worries were no longer an issue. Phew!
 
As Martin Luther King Jr. said “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” 

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