Dear Geist,

Apologies in advance for asking about how a writer gets started, but I have the single best idea for a screenplay that I've ever had, and I can hardly breathe. It took me all day just to write this note to you, so how will I ever start actually writing???

—Nano writer, Prince Albert SK

Dear Nano,

First, lie down or sit down and take a few deep, slow breaths in and out. This is essential. You can do it at any point(s) in the writing. When your breathing slows down, your whole body will likely relax with it, taking along any important notes or passages that you want to keep.

Once you've begun to return to your more calm writing self, try this practice of the writer and filmmaker David Mamet. He often gets underway by asking himself two questions as he ponders the work ahead in a new story, whether it is a screenplay, a stage play, or any other storytelling medium. These are the questions:

1st question: Where do I put the camera?

2nd question: What do I tell the actors?

Even if you have no plans to write a screenplay in your life, this little grounding exercise is a gem.

—The Editors