the beginning: help!

[paperairplane]

Ideas are easy for me. They come at lightning quick speed, begging me to turn them into something real, something others (even if it's just my best friend) will want to read.
But then I go to write and the beginning is nowhere to be found.
Once I get past that, the first 2k words or so, things aren't so bad. Words start flowing. The ideas really begin their transfer to paper.
But I always get writer's block when I go to start. Any help? Advice?

[paperairplane]

Gack!
I posted this three times. NOT ON PURPOSE. But now I can't figure out how to delete two of the posts.

[chevbrock]

I wondered what you were doing, Paper!!! :) Ask one of the mods to delete a couple for you. They may come along and do it, anyways, for you.

Anyhoo, on your dilemma, my suggestion is this - normally when I have that brilliant idea a few scenes flesh themselves out soon after, so I reckon to start with that. At the very least, you're writing, and who knows? It may lead you to where you need to start. :)

[blacbird]

A. Don't worry about the multiple posts. It just happened to me, too, elsewhere. The site got balky. The mod will fix it.

B. Don't worry about the beginning overmuch. I hate beginnings. I fuss with them endlessly (which means I never finish beginning . . .). Just go past it, write your story, and worry about the beginning later. The problem is simple: You may not know where your story begins, when you begin writing it. No law says you have to write a story sequentially. Many writers don't, just as most painters don't start on their canvas in the lower right hand corner.

caw

[TrickyFiction]

Just go past it, write your story, and worry about the beginning later.

Yep. There's no law that says all stories must be written in chronological order.

[JoNightshade]

Sometimes I find it satisfying to go back and rewrite the beginning after having reached the end. You can tie it in tighter.

[TurkeyLurkey]

I agree with the above posts. Most often you can toss out the first two chapters to your story, and still have a great beginning. I always look at the first two chapters as a warm-up.