Whaaaa…? Yeah, exactly.

Everything you ever read—including this post—may work for you, or it may not.

I can hear you groaning. Hey, I groaned too. For years, actually. The first time my writing mentor grabbed his head in disbelief when I told him how many drafts a single book takes me (5-6), I couldn’t understand his distress. “Why do you torture yourself?” He asked. I was confused. Torture? Isn’t re-writing part of the writing process? Doesn’t every writer talk about it?

It took me a few years to understand that he was right (no kidding, he had multiple books as bestsellers on the New York Times list), and I was wrong.

Or I should say, read or watch one story multiple times before setting to the task of breaking down.

This is the only way to learn story structure.

I don’t mean vodka (though AFTER you’re done writing, why not?). I mean the beverage of your choice that takes a little bit of time to make (like hot coffee or hot tea) and then some more time to drink. It’s a short break, say 5-10 minutes, that you can use to think.

Think about your story, then get back to writing. NO SCREENS.

To begin is the hardest thing of all, isn’t it?

Here is a little trick the might get you going.

Think about your first pages as throwaways. Warmup. Clearing your throat.