Embracing Uncertainty in Writing

 What should I write?

That’s the question so many authors ask themselves—myself included. It’s the problem we all face: you want to write, and you tell yourself, “I’m going to write today!” You might even set a goal—500, 600, 700 words—whatever it is, it doesn’t really matter. Sure, it’s good to set goals, and it’s great if you reach them. But way too often, you sit down at your computer, typewriter, or with a pad of paper and pen, and then... “What the hell do I write?”

I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened to me. Honestly, this article came from exactly that feeling.

Here’s what I want to say: it’s okay not to know what to write. It’s fine. And you know what else? Let your writing flow. Sometimes that means just start writing. It’s okay if you don’t know what’s going to come out on paper—sometimes, that’s the best part. Think about it for a second: you’re writing about John Smith and his “exciting” life as a school janitor, and boom, a meteor shower happens, and suddenly, he has powers. How did that happen? Who knows? It just flowed onto the paper (or your computer screen). What are his powers? Who cares? The details don’t matter—not at the start, anyway. What does matter, you might be asking? Well, getting some words down is what matters. You can always go back to edit, outline, and plan later. But all that’s much harder to do when you don’t have any words to work with.

I’ll be honest—I didn’t plan this article. I didn’t outline or plan anything. I just sat down, put a title at the top of the page, and started writing. And this is what came out. I realized that so many people want to write but never actually do because they can’t think of what to write. I’m guilty of that all the time. I also realized that a lot of people are scared that if they don’t know what to write, their writing won’t be good. Here’s a fact: there’s no such thing as a perfect first draft. Here’s another fact: nobody knows exactly what to write every time they sit down to write. The only thing you can do is just sit down and start writing.

So, let me ask you: Do you like to write? Does it call to you? Do you dream about writing? Are stories running through your head? Okay, that was more than one question, but they’re important ones. If you answered yes to any of them, then writing is something you should pursue, even if you don’t know what to write.

In conclusion, don’t worry if you don’t know what to write—just start writing. You might just be amazed at the results.

Yes, this is the first stop on the journey because, let's face it, writing goes nowhere without words on the page. This post, along with the next few, will likely focus on embracing uncertainty. But uncertainty isn't necessarily a bad thing—especially in writing. It can be exhilarating, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you write. As the author, you get to experience your story much like a reader, not knowing how things will end or what surprise twist might be around the corner.

For now, though, I’m going to sign off. Pen you later, everyone, and happy writing!