Rather than day dreaming about what you want to write about, sit down for ten minutes, keep your hand moving, begin with “I want to write about” and go. Stay specific and concrete. Not “I want to write about truth, democracy, honesty,” but “I want to write about the time my father lied right to my face and I could taste it all through dinner. It tasted like hot gasoline.” Get in action. Work it out actively. Pen on paper. Otherwise all your thoughts are dreams. They go nowhere. Let the story move through your hand rather than your head.

Goldberg (47)