Unsure where to begin? Here, I share how to begin writing a book for the first time. You don’t have to know everything yet when you begin. The important thing is to begin.

It took me years to figure out what I’m sharing with you in this post, and I hope I can save you time and heartache. If you’re stuck on page three or two hundred of your book, or you’re simply unsure where to begin, here are four misconceptions that I see beginning writers make when they’re just starting out.

The story about the pots is an oft-cited anecdote from the book Art & Fear, and I decided to write about it today because it’s one of those parables that, as an writer, you absolutely must hear at least once. I probably think about it five or six times a week.

Think back to when you were a kid, and recall a reward that you desperately wanted. I can think of a bunch: my name under the sunshine that read “THANKS!” on my second grade teacher’s chalkboard; 

Nothing is more motivating than a deadline. We’ve all experienced this in a million ways, right?
Only in recent years have I discovered that there is such a thing as a too-distant deadline.

Like many people, I love the ocean, and not just lying on the sand soaking in the sun—I love being in the water. I love trying to surf and doing it badly/thinking I look savvier than I do. I love the waves crashing into me and leaving my skin gritty for hours afterward.

What do you do when the last thing you want to do is write?
For me, there's no time this is more likely to occur than when I've committed to write something. Once I've promised to complete a project—whether that commitment is to a class, a publisher, or someone else—I suddenly feel like I'm walking underwater.

For me, finishing my first novel meant trading in a job that didn't allow me time to write for one that did. This came with a big pay cut—I went from being a lawyer to being a tutor (which is what I did before I was a lawyer), but it was so worth it.