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Q&A Where do I start?

You have quite a bit of detail and so I believe it is possible that a couple of things are happening. These are my guesses but they may help you examine yourself for the best place to start. You...

posted 6y ago by raddevus‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T08:57:36Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36609
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar raddevus‭ · 2019-12-08T08:57:36Z (over 4 years ago)
You have quite a bit of detail and so I believe it is possible that a couple of things are happening. These are my guesses but they may help you examine yourself for the best place to start.

1. You feel a bit overwhelmed by the task in front of you so your brain is attempting to stop you from starting. 
2. The real thing you are unsure of is what (specifically) should you write? As in, what should you really show in your scenes.

For the overwhelming feeling I've written an answer here on Writer's SO that you may help at: [I'm having an issue committing to my novels](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/23747/im-having-an-issue-committing-to-my-novels/23764#23764)

I've also written about motivations (there are only 2, pain and pleasure) here at Writer's SO and that really does apply here also : [How to motivate yourself to finish something?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/19743/how-to-motivate-yourself-to-finish-something/19752#19752)

But, in the case of the uneasy feeling of not knowing exactly what you should write I suggest the following explanation and help:

**Not Knowing What To Show**

You are already thinking in scenes so that is an important first step. Some guidance comes from what Anton Checkhov said,

> "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired."

Sometimes a writer will think something like the following:

"I'm writing a story about a aliens who attack the Earth."

They sit down and start writing and wonder where to start. Having no idea about what adds up to the main character being a hero they start out at the beginning and you get something like:

> On May 5, 2018 Bill Edwards' alarm clock sounded and he rolled over and hit the snooze button.

No. Readers don't care about how he wakes up. Unless he stands up, looks out his window and sees an alien spacecraft in his yard.

**Which Details?**

So, which details should a writer choose?

1. The ones that specifically go into telling the exact story you are telling or
2. The ones which display the nature of the character who is acting out the story.

**A Way Forward**

Since you have your list of scenes (and hopefully the outcome you expect from the scene) I suggest you start writing the shortest versions of those scenes as possible.

So let's say your alien story scenes are:

1. Aliens land on Earth and only a few people know. Hero is called : hero is unsure about confronting aliens.
2. First interaction with aliens and hero : hero tries to make peace but is wounded.
3. People who brought in hero have lost confidence in him and want to keep him away.

**Scene 1**

> "We've called you in because we know you've been studying the possibility of alien civilizations and you've been trained as special-ops," said Gov't agent.
> 
> "So you believe you've discovered some alien life of some kind," hero asks.
> 
> "Not just believe, but know." Gov't agent pushes a tablet toward Hero. "Take a look at that. It just landed 34 minutes ago in Des Moines"
> 
> "An alien travels an astronomical distance and then lands in Des Moines?"
> 
> "Yeah, well," Gov't agent said. "Their local maps probably aren't so great. Check out the video footage."
> 
> Hero sees the aliens emerge. They look like giant wasps with squid bodies. They move toward a house and eat everyone inside. Hero pushes the pad back towards Gov't Agent. "Uh...I think maybe you just need some tanks to take care of this. I'm not sure what I can do."
> 
> "I know it looks ugly, but we think you can communicate with these things and find out more about their intent."

**Start Very Small, Write Very Short**

You could just write one half page per scene and this would either draw you into writing more or you will decide that this is not something you want to write.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-05-31T21:22:18Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 1