Getting started is a common problem.....with creative writing you can sometimes start at the end or the middle and work backwards or outwards from there. Blank page syndrome is very anxiety producing. Even professional writers struggle as you can see here.
http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/a/wblockquotes.htmPerfectionism and the anxiety that you will write badly affects lots of people.
Organising thoughts is another issue.
Mind mapping on scrap paper....free associating ideas and actually putting something on paper can be a catalyst to starting. Allowing a terrible draft so that he just writes a page even if its horrible can be another way to start.
