When Beginning a New Writing Project: Start with the Eyes

I like to do art for fun. It provides a nice cognitive stimulus, because I suspect it engages a different part of my brain. But I used to do it all wrong. When I used to paint a dog, for instance, I would start at the edges of the painting and work my way in. I waited until the very end to paint the eyes, because the eyes were the hardest part. My method was backwards.

Oil Pastel of Luci, My Parents' Late Dog, Done by Me, Fall '24

It makes more sense to begin with the eyes, because nothing else matters if the eyes aren’t done to perfection.  

When I write, I do the same thing. I start as far away as possible from the point I’m trying to make. I give context, history, and one hundred references before working my way to whatever point I'm trying to make. The problem is that I wind up spending six months writing 50,000 words before I get to what it is I’m trying to say. That's when the real work begins. 

 

For example, a month ago I decided to start writing an autobiographical novel about a late friend of mine. I started at the very beginning, which was the first time I learned that he was joining our department. I wrote eight chapters and still hadn’t reached the main issue that had me writing in the first place, which was that this friend of mine had died without accepting (and possibly because he hadn't accepted) his sexuality. It was tragic, and I wanted to sort through my irritation and other feelings.

 

I need to start with the eyes. Most of my books could have been 500-word essays, I think.