So don't ask me how to get started, it's all Uncharted...

I've been a little obsessed with a song from Sara Bareilles' forthcoming album Kaleidoscope Heart (such a beautiful imaginery!), that comes out in a month on September 7th. She performed the song Live on VH1 and like so many of her songs the lyrics/music/her voice spoke to me. I can't stop listening to it and IMO it can be applied very well to writing. So this is what I'll do today. Bear with me.

No words
But tears won't make any room for more
And it don't hurt like anything I've ever felt before
This is no broken heart
No familiar scars
This territory goes uncharted

A new draft or maybe you're in the middle of a book, you have no idea where to start or how to go on, but if you pressure yourself nothing good will come of it, because you'll block yourself off the words. You finished your last book and thought the next one would be the same, that writing would get easier now that you've finished something, but it's a whole different experience.

Just me, in a room sunk down in a house in a town
And I don't breathe
Though I never meant to let it get away from me
And now I've too much to hold
Everybody has to get their hands on gold
And I want uncharted

You're alone and maybe due to the issues you're having, you tried to reach out, read how-tos on writing, but now you're overwhelmed with all the information out there*. Everybody else already seems to be successful, someone wrote the EXACT same, totally brilliant novel you were planning to. They have a book deal, you don't. *cue depression* And everything just SUCKS.

Each day I'm counting up the minutes till I get alone
Cos I can't stay in the middle of it all
It's nobody's fault but I'm so low
Never knew how much I didn't know
Oh, everything is uncharted

You really want to write and it's YOUR thing. You know it deep down, but it's so hard. You love it and during the day job or your activities at home all you can think about is your characters and new plot ideas. But once you sit down at night to do it, it's like there's this big fat block inside of your head and what you were looking forward to all day becomes dreadful. You feel like your writing sucks.

I know I'm getting nowhere when I only sit and stare like
I'm going down
Follow if you wanna or just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out of foolproof ideas
So don't ask me how to get started
It's all uncharted

But you know that when you just think about it and stare at the empty pages/word document all you do is drive yourself crazy. So you have to dive in, no matter what and be it all by yourself. No one can show you where to go. There's no plan, no foolproof way of knowing when or how you'll come out at the other end. It's all uncharted.

Jumpstart my kaleidoscope heart
Love to watch the colors fade
They may not make sense but they sure as hell made me
I won't go as a passenger, no
Waiting for the roads to be laid
Though I may be going down
I'll take in flame over burning out

The bridge! (My favourite part of the song.) Let your imagination and the words flow. Just write something, ignore the doubts. Maybe it doesn't make sense at first, but it'll get there. It's a part of you and as long as it remains true to yourself it'll be good. You're not going to sit and watch the world pass you by, you're going to take the lead and be the person that makes the change. And even if what you're doing isn't good, it's better to let this idea go up in flame and end so you can do something new, than to watch it slowly and painfully burn out. (Wow, I should be ashamed for this bad metaphor. *g*)

Compare where you are to where you wanna be
And you'll get nowhere

Don't think of that BIG goal at the end of the road. Think of the now, make tiny goals that you can reach and eventually, you'll get to the big one. But looking at the huge, unattainable one will only freeze you and get you nowhere.

I'm going down
Follow if you wanna or just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out of foolproof ideas
So don't ask me how to get started
It's all uncharted**

Conclusion: Your journey is your own. NO ONE will have the same as you. Don't compare. Just trust the words. Trust yourself. Trust that deep inside of yourself there's something that'll make it happen. And WRITE. Write like hell - it doesn't matter if it sucks. It can be polished into a beautiful diamond later. Just get started.

P.S.: I want to be able to play the piano like she can.

* This isn't to say that you shouldn't read blog posts of other authors, agents, editors and so on. They're great. I learn a lot from other people in the blogosphere, but don't obsess over every piece of advice. Try it and see what works for you. Not everything out there works for everyone in the same way. There's no hidden, secret formula.

**Disclaimer: The lyrics belong to Ms Bareilles, this is just me interpreting them in my very own way. I'm sure they can mean something different to everyone. That's the beauty of music.