A new direction

is simply experience

leading you forward.

Do you remember Romancing the Stone? The 1984 movie starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas gave us a glance behind the first step to a great story. (Hey, nobody said I was a young writer.) The author pounding away on a vintage typewriter, sniffling as if she could hold back her tears. She was locked in the emotional moment. Back to the story -actually- the point.

Every great story, yes, every written piece, starts with a beginning. Whether you clutch a cell phone to soliloquize your idea or open a notebook and scribble out your thoughts and everything in between, there is a start. But I challenge you to find it.

In my recent poetry book, Breath Mark, the title piece is about one of those moments before the writing begins. A familiar scent, a bit of a tune, or a remembered sensation can elicit a feeling to be shared. What I see here is two important cues, personal and shared.

We writers always include a bit of ourselves. Perhaps there is a moral to be learned, wisdom to be shared, or a giggle that needs to escape. Even if you are structuring a report or research paper, your perspective has drawn you to the conclusion you will detail.

Examine your own motives and tendencies. Have your life experience shown you a pattern that will help others avoid pain or achieve a goal? Perhaps you use too many exclamation points or commas in your writing. There are many ways our own habits and experiences impact our writing. You can use that to decipher your focus. Build an architecture for your writing out of those experiences.

Sharing your ideas will evolve out of your introspection. Simply having an idea or opinion is not enough to expound to others. What is the point? Everyone has read a story about a couple falling in love. Why do you think this story needs to be told? Then ask yourself what you want the reader to come away with. Moving people to action, asking readers to consider a new point, or entertaining your audience to give them a break from their heavy lives are all valid personal reasons to write. There are many more.

Be open to that epiphany when reminiscence and a new perspective meld. Keep your favorite writing tools handy. How often do you find a great story line without any way to write it down? But don’t despair, intentionally plan ahead. Stow some paper and writing instruments where inspiration usually strikes. Smart phones are ubiquitous in our society and very useful when away. They have both voice recording and notes apps that will help you jot down those ideas that seemingly sprout from nowhere. Remember it’s not from a vacuum but from your experience.

The most important piece is capturing that elusive inspiration. Practice concise notes. What is the main idea, what lines popped into your head, and what triggered the thoughts? I’ve found that those triggers are the best way to jump back into the writing after time has passed.

Now that you have the beginning, I hope to hear where you went with it. Stop by tomorrow at Vintage and Modern Books (on 6^th Street in Racine) or drop me a line.

—Christy Hoff

ArtRoot Writer-in-Residence