New Beginnings

I started a new book today. Why are beginnings so hard? Truth is, you should just plunge in. Anywhere. Just vomit up whatever you can and not worry about how it looks or how it sounds. You can always fix it in post.

But saying that and doing it is so hard. Taking that first step. Committing yourself. That’s when I wish I was a salesgirl at Macy’s. A job that requires no emotional commitment and no creative energy. And no deadlines. No editors to impress, no readers to disappoint.

That’s the crux of it, now that I think about it. The knowledge that whatever you do, you’ll be judged. Getting that knowledge out of your head, or at least sublimating it is vital to taking that first step. And the second.

Some people are better at it than others. I always admire those who have confidence in their own abilities. Rosie O’Donnell once told a story about Barbara Streisand that I’ll always remember. Streisand isn’t a typical beauty. Her voice, though powerful, has it’s issues. And let’s face it, she’s something of a character. So when she started out, she got a lot of rejections. So Rosie asked her how she managed to keep going when over and over people told her she wouldn’t make it. Streisand said she simply didn’t believe them.


Don’t you wish Ms. Barbra could bottle that confidence and sell it? I’d buy a caseload. Then before I start a new book, I'd drink it all up.