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That blank first page or empty black screen is the scariest part of any creative project.

What Mara mentioned about rewrites is key. Just understanding that you'll probably erase it all anyway is a great way to remove the tension from those first steps, make them feel less pressured, less critical. I start writing as best I can, knowing it probably won't be perfect, and make some headway. after I've jotted down a good bit, I take a step back, narrow my eyes and gaze at it all suspiciously, wondering if I'm making a terrible mistake. Then I throw away everything I don't like, and start over again, but this time there are a few edge pieces of the puzzle already in place, helping to define the shape, and it's easier that time. Through this whole process your subconscious mind is kind of grinding away at all the thoughts you've gone through, and a few versions later it all tends to start coming together into something coherent.

Indie hit on something important, which is to strategize your work from a top down perspective. Working backwards can produce complex resolutions to plots that will make you appear brilliant to your reader. You might consider starting from a template for your early works, just to build confidence and experience. Like a sitcom episode is an example of a template, or a Law and Order episode. 2 detectives, 2 prosecuters, one criminal, etc. It can give you a starting point to alleviate some of the fog and get you moving.
 
I've read this thread 3 times and I don't get it. What are you asking? Do you want to know how to be a writer.. The answer is simple; WRITE. To be a good writer you must also read. If you're talking about how to get started on a writing project, how to get the first page. I guess that's up to you and how you like to approach a project. Stephen King likes to pump out the first draft of one of his writing projects as fast as he can. Usually in 30 or 40 days. Get it all out. Don't think, just write. There will be plenty of time to fix everything after you've got your first draft. I'm not Stephen King but I write that way too.

If you're saying you don't know how to write and don't know where to begin, there are dozens upon dozens of books on the subject. Just pick one. One of my favorites is called The Screenwriter's Bible. A very good book. It doesn't just tell you things, it makes you think.
 
Seth Meyers Lol GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers
 
When you have a general idea it's hard to know where to begin, translation: writer's block even though you have this great idea.
I see..

You could consider starting in the middle of an event. Leave the audience disoriented and curious. Grab their attention. (Star Wars episode 4)

You could start with an ambiguous scene from the end of the movie then let the rest of the movie be a flashback. (Quadrophenia)

Show the main character as a child going through an event that will shape his or her life, then flash forward to them as an adult. To the point where the story makes use of the way life has molded them.. (Sleepers)
 
Something to consider that works for me personally...

STRUCTURE. My imagination is NEVER the problem. I have plenty of ideas and I write through discovery. Always have. I simply cannot outline. Well, I can but it feels so wrong (to me) trying to consistently hammer the square peg into the round hole.

So?

I figure out my structure first... All the way through the story. Sure, it can change anywhere along the way. My characters are always CHANGING the flow of the story. As soon as they all take on a life of their own? I know I'm ON TO SOMETHING.

I have my own basic story structure that I follow that I've been honing and polishing for at least two decades... It changes anytime I read or watch something in a story that really HITS me and makes me realize what I just saw or read is USUALLY in ALL great stories.

Structure always lets me hit the ground running... Knowing what my Protagonist needs to be doing -- when and where?

Super helpful. This way, when I've stopped writing for the day? My brain is already working on the next scene or sequence because I know what my structure is.

Forcing it out at a moment's notice is difficult. Impossible for some.

But knowing ahead of time what and when the characters in your story need to be doing?

Amazing. At least for me.

This is NOT me saying one structure fits all. Not saying that at all. STORY CHANGES. But I do have a baseline of structure that I always follow just like I said -- to hit the ground running.
 
Something to consider that works for me personally...

STRUCTURE. My imagination is NEVER the problem. I have plenty of ideas and I write through discovery. Always have. I simply cannot outline. Well, I can but it feels so wrong (to me) trying to consistently hammer the square peg into the round hole.

So?

I figure out my structure first... All the way through the story. Sure, it can change anywhere along the way. My characters are always CHANGING the flow of the story. As soon as they all take on a life of their own? I know I'm ON TO SOMETHING.

I have my own basic story structure that I follow that I've been honing and polishing for at least two decades... It changes anytime I read or watch something in a story that really HITS me and makes me realize what I just saw or read is USUALLY in ALL great stories.

Structure always lets me hit the ground running... Knowing what my Protagonist needs to be doing -- when and where?

Super helpful. This way, when I've stopped writing for the day? My brain is already working on the next scene or sequence because I know what my structure is.

Forcing it out at a moment's notice is difficult. Impossible for some.

But knowing ahead of time what and when the characters in your story need to be doing?

Amazing. At least for me.

This is NOT me saying one structure fits all. Not saying that at all. STORY CHANGES. But I do have a baseline of structure that I always follow just like I said -- to hit the ground running.
 
maybe . . .

imagine the first scene or sequence and make a few notes, any bits of dialogue or action or points you want to make, and then, once you have a sense of its purpose, imagine it is an assignment, for a class or something, that you have to turn in, regardless of how good it is. Get it at least coherent, get the writing correct, at least readable, and . . . there is a good chance it will be better than you thought.

and then . . . move on to the next, lol.
 
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I see..

You could consider starting in the middle of an event. Leave the audience disoriented and curious. Grab their attention. (Star Wars episode 4)

You could start with an ambiguous scene from the end of the movie then let the rest of the movie be a flashback. (Quadrophenia)

Show the main character as a child going through an event that will shape his or her life, then flash forward to them as an adult. To the point where the story makes use of the way life has molded them.. (Sleepers)
Well also where you start writing does not have to be page 1. So when you say start with the middle of the story and that's the opener, it could still be the middle of the movie. The idea is just start writing, even if if's just a scene in your head.
 
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