Sometimes the blank page glares up and we don’t know where to start. We need a few words on paper just get us going. We can use freewriting to help us to develop and sort ideas about something we have been thinking of for a while. Freewriting works well at the start of a project when we are not sure what we think or know. And free writing is a good way to get words on paper each day. We often use it towards the beginning of a workshop or as part of the routine use of journals. It can help to have a way of starting, just a few words that start a sentence.
When choosing starters, it is good not to be too specific. Find words that open up rather than point too clearly what might come next. If you are working within a theme you may want to hint at that theme, choosing words that might lead to a beginning exploration of the subject. Otherwise, sentence starters that allow writers to choose their own subjects can give rise to unexpected and often important writing. Things rise to the surface that need to be articulated. Something knotted may be untangled. Something hidden brought out in the open, the true humour of a situation revealed or a solution found.
Trust just a few words for your starter. ‘On the way …. ‘ is more open than ‘On the way home …. ‘ It allows the writer to choose. On the other hand, you may want writers to be thinking about something more specific, ‘On Saturday mornings … ‘ places some parameters around what might follow.
Here are some possible beginnings. Once you have used a few, you will get a sense of how they work and what to suggest.
Sometimes … I have been thinking ….. I often wonder … Late at night … Today I have mostly … When my … I used to … What I want to say is … Every day … The noise that …
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