I had many false-starts when I first tried my hand at writing romance. This was at the beginning of this calendar year; so I’m pretty new. What got me over the hump of my first chapter/outline was not typing out my story. I avoid the computer entirely unless it’s for research. I write it out by hand (then transfer it to the computer). Thus far, I have filled over 6 note pads (2 big and 4 small) with my ideas, scenes, chapters, and ramblings about characters. And I’m not even half done!
I got this idea when I read Gena Showalter’s blog and she said her friends mocked her for writing out her multiple books by hand. I thought, “Maybe that will work for me.” And then, “Duh. Why didn’t I think of that before now?” I do really well at getting my ideas out when I’m journaling; so, this is a natural progression of that. Now, I’ve been writing for two months (with a full-time job) and I have 40-something percent of my wordcount into the computer. Woo-hoo!
Moral of the story: Be willing to try new things — you never know what might improve your writing skills.
