Every writer has their approach. Maybe it’s a discipline, an outline, a deadline, a loosely woven story, or completely shooting from the hip.

I have a mild case of OCD, type A personality and all, which would stand to reason that I’d be an outline writer and deadline setter; even scheduling time to put words to paper. I’m not. I’m more of the Oscar to my everyday Felix. One-liners scribbled on pieces of paper, shoved in my purse, my wallet, the pocket of my car door. Blog entries with a single paragraph. Journals with 1/4 of a page filled. Notes spattered about the various iPhone apps I have to help keep me organized. Then I wait for the inspiration to hit. Nothing structured about that approach.

Occasionally, I’m asked for advice about how to write. Where do you start, what do you do when you’re blocked or what you’ve written is utter crap? I’ve hit every possible hurdle and where I’ve landed is simple; Just start writing. You’d be amazed where a single sentence, with no intentional context, can lead. A little like “choose your own adventure”. Fine if you did an outline; keep it handy when you really get moving for direction, but don’t mire your creativity in it. Structure can sometimes be like quicksand; have you chin deep in muck. Stuck before you realize that you’re in too deep.

Creativity inherently means there are no rules. Start in the middle. Write a single short story, then another, then another. Your brain is a muscle that needs exercising, but it’s also your brain; it makes sense of things. Connects actions together; like walking. Trust it to guide you even when it feels like you’re walking through an alley on a dark night. The more you “just write,” the more pieces of the puzzle you’ll have for your brain to connect. Eventually, you’ll notice the pattern. Sense the direction. And I bet, if you grabbed that outline, what you’d been doing without planning, might look a lot like what you attempted to plan.

The other slice of wisdom I’d offer is to chase inspiration. You write what you know best. Experiences are the fuel for the creative mind and that might mean doing something out of character, or even your comfort zone. I’m not suggesting you need to have the exact experience you want to write about, example: you don’t need to rob a bank to write about it! I’m not *ADVOCATING ANY ILLEGAL ACTS. If you think about it, the numbers of different emotions are small. You know that feeling you have about 4 seconds after you almost got in a car accident? The feeling of the blood draining quickly from your body as your heart pounds, or when that person you’ve wanted to kiss you forever finally does. The difference is the setting the emotion is written into. Your ability to describe the emotion, is what brings your story to life. What makes your reader remember that moment in their own life. The real tough part, is conjuring that emotion and sometimes, that means chasing it down. Then, writing it down. Immediately. Scribble is on a napkin if you have to, but get every detail out. You can finesse it later.

Lastly, get yourself an envelope. I’ve got this 5×7 clear pouch with a string tie (like these, but smaller). It’s light and if you’re a chick, you can carry it in your purse. Or leave it at your desk. The one discipline I’d stick to is emptying your pockets into that pouch every night. Then, when you sit down to write, start with the contents of that pouch; your brain dump, if you will.

Trust that everything has a beginning and an end. It’s the stuff in the middle that matters; a fact proven with the Oreo cookie if you don’t believe me. Start there, in the middle, and you’ll be amazed how the rest falls into place.

* the supplemental persona, author, and contributors to this blog do not advocate any illegal acts of any kind, for any reason. Rob banks at your own risk.