“Like most writers, I don’t like to write; I like to have written.”

— William Zinsser, “On Writing Well”

     True, isn’t it? A writer will do anything to get out of writing — another trip to the coffee shop, an episode of The Jeffersons on cable, a phone call, or even an extended discussion about the idea the writer has for his story, song, novel, play, or what have you. But actually sitting down, turning the cell off, and writing … man, that can be scary. Here are some nuggets to help, courtesy of Thomas H. Uzzell’s article “How To Get Story Ideas:”

     With the young student, the chief impulse to write comes from his love of reading. The great works of literary art stir him profoundly, arouse in him burning desires of emulation and launch him forth without his quite knowing it, on a deliberate, rash enterprise of writing equally well and that rather soon, too …

     The trouble with it is, however, that a young writer’s first scribblings in comparison with these majestic performances just about floor him; the contrast is too great. His own ideas — how utterly trite, banal, childish …

     The young writer seldom remembers that these masterpieces which he adores are never typical of the work of their performers. They are the careful selection from the output of an entire lifetime … Give yourself time … The first output is nothing; the habit everything.
 ***

     If you find yourself ready to “get” story ideas and absolutely unable to write a single word, do not be shocked or panic-stricken. Your trouble is not that you do not have ideas, but that you do not have the habit of setting them down. The very first thing is to cure yourself of “typewriter panic.” Write anything. Begin by cultivating a habit of writing, of setting words on paper; the quality of the copy is sure to improve as you persist. At first write for quantity only.

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