Creative Writing Wizard

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Lao Tzu

Have you ever had a story floating around in your head for months or even years, but every time you sit down to write it… nothing comes out?

Yeah. Me too.

I’m Glen, fantasy author and creative writing wizard, and this is GlenCOURAGEment! (the written version! I’ve included an audio/video read of this post for my fellow creatives who prefer auditory or visual over reading text).

In this new series, we talk about the stuff behind the writing: the mindset, the methods, and the magic that helps you actually finish the stories you’ve been dreaming about.

Today, I’m talking about a simple little trick that helped me go from years of blank pages to actually finishing stories and it starts with LEGO. Sort of.

Let’s get into it.

1. Overcome a Blank Page
2. The Lord of the Rings (example)
3. Conclusion
4. Indie Release Radar – March Books

Overcome a Blank Page

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? That blank page just stares back at you like it’s waiting for some kind of magic. Well, what if I told you there is a simple trick that could help you finally get that story out of your head and onto the page?

I want to share something today that’s made a huge difference in my writing life. It’s something I use all the time, whether I’m working on flash fiction, a short story, or a full-blown novel.

So, picture this with me for a second: a finished story. The one that lives in your imagination. Now imagine trying to build that from scratch, starting with nothing but an empty page. It can feel overwhelming, yeah?

Here’s where the trick comes in: Think of your story like building with LEGO.

You don’t start with the entire castle or spaceship or whatever world you’re building. You start with one brick. In writing terms, it’s one sentence: the hook.

Maybe you’re the kind of writer who likes to just dive in, what people call a “pantser” or writing by the seat of your pants, and that’s awesome. But if you’re like me, someone who likes a little bit of structure before diving into the chaos, here’s what I do: I start with one sentence that captures the heart of the story. Just one.

Then I add three more ideas that build on that sentence, these tend to be major plot points, moments I know I want to include, beats that matter.

From there, I just keep going, adding more layers if I need to:

• Three smaller points under each of the big ones.
• Then maybe three more under those, which become chapters.
• And then three more under those, which become the scenes.

You might know this as the “Snowflake Method.” There’s a more detailed post here if you want to go deeper, but the core idea is simple: start small. Expand as you go, a few bullet points at a time.

The Lord of the Rings (example)

Let’s take a story that may be familiar to my fellow writers: The Lord of the Rings. You could boil that whole saga down to one sentence:

“An unsuspecting hero travels to save the land by defeating a dark lord.”

Then break it into three major chunks (spoilers!):

1. He leaves his peaceful life behind and begins the quest.
2. Things fall apart, the group splits, and it all almost fails.
3. He makes it into the enemy’s stronghold and destroys the dark lord’s power.

It’s obviously way more complicated in the actual story, but starting with just a few building blocks makes the whole thing feel doable. And once you’ve got those in place, you can add as much detail as you want.

Conclusion

Before I started using this method, I struggled. I had all these half-started stories and blank pages that went nowhere. And many times along the way I gave up because I felt like I couldn’t do it.

But now? I’ve written and published multiple stories and even finished a full length novel draft in just a few months. This approach unlocked something in me. And maybe it’ll do the same for you.

So if you’re listening and wondering where to start—or thinking if you’ll ever finish the story that’s been nudging your brain, know this: You can do this.

You have something to say, and I truly believe there are people out there who need to hear it.

Your experiences, your imagination, your voice—those things matter.

Writing can be hard. But you don’t have to do it alone.

If you want to learn from what I’ve found helpful to help make your writing journey a little easier, or just someone to encourage you along the way, I’m here.

Follow along, as you walk out your writing journey.

Most importantly,

Keep writing and stay creative.

Indie Release Radar – March Books

If you’d like to be inspired by fellow authors who have come before and found their way to the end of their writing journey (or an end, with their published books), check out these amazing Indie Authors!

For all those subscribed to this newsletter, there is also a monthly giveaway! So keep an eye on your emails for my outreach to contact you if you win! (available to US/Canadian residents and people over 18)

If you haven’t yet, now’s a great time to sign up to the monthly newsletter so you don’t miss a post along with the latest releasing Indie books!

Main Photo Credit: Georgina Trusty