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First, this question is not quite about writer's block or dealing with self-criticism. I find myself often in the following situation: I want to write a short piece of non-fiction and have plenty ...
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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/8865 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
First, this question is not quite about writer's block or dealing with self-criticism. I find myself often in the following situation: I want to write a short piece of non-fiction and have plenty of ideas to drive the discussion from a nice introduction to the heart of topic, to an end that wraps the discussion in a nice manner. I decide what to say in the first paragraph, with a view to catch the reader's attention and to introduce the theme in an original way... ...then I am so happy with the structure I want to develop, that I get bogged down trying to construct the perfect first sentence; and it takes a looong time to make it come out just right. Then for the second paragraph the same, and so on. I am happy with the end results, but it is a drag. Now, I am aware of the notion that the first draft should be rough and that the editing process comes later. I am ok with that. What I need to know is how to quickly find the approximate turn of phrase I want in the beginning so I can continue into the main body of the piece?