Just Start Writing

Having trouble with a story? Perhaps you've been mulling over and idea for a while or you just want to write but don't have any ideas.
Just start writing. If you think about an idea for too long then you'll be afraid to write it down in case you ruin the perfection that you've created in your head and you'll never be satisfied, even though we know that everyone's first drafts are rubbish anyway.
 
As you know, I like to participate in NaNoWriMo and I've realised that the books I actually finish are the ones I've started off the top of my head on the day.
Let your characters lead the way. Perhaps start with a description of a place and then, when you have one, introduce a character into the mix. Let them lead you along: take them by their hand and ask to be shown around the story.

Soon, you'll be teeming with ideas but if not, just take a look around the internet (the NaNoWriMo forums are great - you don't have to be a member to read them) and perhaps take a few quotes. You never know what could spark the next event in your story. Just pick a situation, dump your character in it and watch as they get out. Don't forget to write it down.

For example, I dropped a clueless, "good boy" sixteen year old guy into a party filled with alcohol and kids smoking pot at five in the morning. I had no plans whatsoever for the story but now I'm 35,000 words in and ideas keep flowing in. I know what I want to write and it's exciting.

Be excited by your writing. These are your creations. Don't wait around for someone to tell you to write, or to give you the words. You have to want to write and if you want to, truly want to, then the words will come. They'll overflow and you'll have carpal tunnel by the end but boy is it worth it.

Lydia