“What you would do, begin it. Boldness has wonder, power, and magic in it.”
There are several versions of that quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust.” It’s good advice no matter which version you prefer, especially if you’re a writer.
What you would do
Whether it’s a book, a blog post, or an article, begin it. Whether it’s long-form or short-form, your writing will be better if you get to writing as soon as possible.
Begin it!
Don’t simply think about what you’re going to write, begin it. Take the first step.
Very often, the first step is planning. If you’re writing a book, the first step in planning might be writing out who will read your book and why. The first step might be jotting down the key issues you want to cover or the primary stories you want to tell.
This kind of planning isn’t something that you do inside your head and nowhere else. Write things down. Get them out of your head and into a file or onto a page. Once you’ve done that, you can do things with them. Until then, all you’ve got are wispy thoughts and dreams.
Sometimes the first step is simply starting to write. Just start writing that blog post and see where the flow takes you. If you want to write a book, start with a zero draft. That means writing the book from the beginning to the end making notes of things that need clarification and where you need more information. Writing a zero draft of your book will accelerate the process from ideas to a book you’re proud of.
Boldness has wonder, power, and magic in it.
Once you start writing, ideas start to flow. Your brain makes connections you hadn’t thought of. You spot new opportunities.
Great writing is about wrestling the angels of meaning onto a page. It’s exciting and fulfilling. But the wonder, power, and magic, won’t happen until you begin.
Takeaways
Boldness has wonder, power, and magic in it.
Don’t simply think about what you’re going to write, begin it!
Take the first step.
Very often, the first step is planning.
Get your ideas out of your head and into a file or onto a page.
Sometimes the first step is simply starting to write.
Once you start writing, ideas start to flow.
You spot new opportunities.
The wonder, power, and magic won’t happen until you begin.