The Writing life #4: First Clicks

“When I’m finally at the desk, where do I start?” is a popular question for would-be writers. Should I start with an outline? A generally idea? Stream of consciousness? Where?

The answer to that is simple, and not very romantic. In reality, when writing fiction, writers want to entertain or enthrall the reader. When writing non-fiction, we want to relieve a tension or answer a question. To do either — generally speaking — means knowing where you’re going. Of course, there are stories of authors who sit down with a vague idea and the story “comes to” them. I think that’s great. This is a phenomenon I’ve experienced writing articles, posts, and even sermons (sometimes even in the middle of sermons), but not when writing a book.