How to Find the Right Words to Write

 

When we get an idea for something to write, we get a pretty good grip on what we want this kind of thing to convey. If it’s a story idea, we pretty much know what kind of story it is and what will happen in it. If it’s an idea for a blog post, we have a good grasp of what that blog post is going to be all about.

 

That’s not the problem. What CAN be the problem is figuring out how to say what you want to say. What is the best way for you to get your message across?

 

In some cases, this will already be figured out. You’ll have an interview lined up or, if this is an assignment, an editor will share what exactly should go into your piece. However, in other cases, it’s just you and your idea. The words are up to you.

 

What I have found to be a good starting point in writing about an idea is to just write what I know about the topic. I usually don’t agree to write about something unless I am familiar with it in some way. Also, before I actually do any writing, I do A LOT of research, note-taking, and pre-writing. This way, I come to the piece armed with some idea of what to write.

 

Another thing you can try when you know what you want to write but can’t figure out the right words is to just think about it for a while. Don’t force yourself to write. I often have ideas for things cooking in that workshop in my mind while I go about and do other things. While I’m doing other things, those ideas are being analyzed, put together, fleshed out and worded. It is only after I feel I have enough of that idea put together in my mind that I will start writing it. I can have an idea in my head for weeks or months before I start writing it.

 

You should try “stepping away” from the idea, too, if you are struggling to get that idea onto paper. Don’t obsess over trying to figure that idea out. Take some time to think about it. The words will come to you and pretty soon, you’ll start writing and have paragraphs of words.

 

Ideas can be hard to figure out sometimes. Ultimately, you should ask yourself: What exactly am I trying to say? What message am I trying to get across with this idea? What kind of story do I want to tell? What kind of theme does my idea have? Start there and soon you’ll know what words to write in order to make your idea an actual piece you have written.