The hardest part of writing is actually starting.

Hi megamatt, You are 110% correct. That most of us complain that we can not write and do not know how to write. The actual problem lies with the starting. Once you have started you would go on then. This is not necessary that you write in the fashion of James Joyce or Shakespeare or Thomas Hardy. Just go on writing and keep on reading good books. And see one day you have become a writer.

I absolutely know what you mean. I am starting out as a freelance writer and also working on a book and some days I just cannot make myself start - and when I do everything I write sounds stupid to me! I have found the best thing is this - just write! Just do it. Write the biggest pile of rubbish, get it out of the way, or actually more often than not you find that something does start to flow. You can always go back later and edit and re write. The worst feeling in the world, and the one we have to get out of as writers, is that paralyzing feeling of not doing it right, and so not doing anything! I wish you an absence of line fear and writers block today!

I agree with you on that. The first para of a lengthy write-up will make me decide whether to go on reading it or just abandon the discussion. The words used must be interesting and can draw me to continue reading. Likewise, when I start any topic I'll try to be creative so people will read from the start to the end.

You are right. It is no way different from starting a speech hahaha!

I couldn't agree more. It is the introductory part along with the title that draws readers to your work. The readers generally begins their reading with a rather skeptic notion. They evaluate every sentence in your first paragraph. They look for the consistency and coherence in the following paragraphs. Then they decide whether they should continue with the rest of it. Now from an author's point of view, his mind needs to draw out all the relevant information from inside his mind, organize them in a logical sequence and then present them with a style. Making your readers stick to the last sentence of your work is a challenge. Their interests often fade away in the middle and they give up even before reaching the last paragraph. This shouldn't happen to a reformed author. When such an experienced author writes something he takes time to make his work complete in all these respects.

It's not only in writing where I observed starting is very hard, I observed this especially in the fine arts, I write but I also paint, in painting the hardest part is to find a subject to paint, then draw on the canvass afterwards everything would seem so easy and automatic already, yes I agree with you very much

You hit the nail on the head! I always have this dilemma - having too many ideas swimming in my head, connecting and making sense of them collectively and writing it down to make them realistic. I had it bad on starting to write things down since I usually at odds on how to start or introduce the story or whatever I am writing. I usually don't know how to attack or approach the subject in a way that can appreciated by my audience.

Your right there my friend. It is starting the first paragraphs that are the hardest thing to do. But after this the lines begin to flow and it is more easy to go on and write. This is my personal opinion.