Happy 2022, everyone! I’m sure by now you’ve planned out your writing goals for the new year, but sometimes the most challenging part of digging into those goals is facing the ominous and foreboding blank page. Whether on your laptop with a blinking cursor, or a pad of lined paper, the blank page is something all writers face, from newbies to seasoned vets.
So, how do you break through the intimidation factor that can occur when staring into the blank abyss?
Fact: The Blank Page is Inevitable
The blank page will always be an ever-present factor in your writing life. It can’t hurt you. It can’t harm you. It can’t do anything but sit there and quietly taunt you.
Don’t let it win!
You can’t learn to swim unless you get in the water, and you can’t ride a bike without getting on one. And you can’t conquer the blank page without adding words and conquering its blankness.
Here are a couple ways to defeat it.
Write Anything
Conquer your fear by jumping into the blank page by writing whatever pops into your head. It can be relevant to your story, but the trick is to eliminate the blankness by adding words to the canvas.
Write a poem. Write a thank-you note. Write a logline. Just write something to get the words on the page.
Write Down Questions
Your story has a lot of elements. If you’re having a hard time diving into the meat and potatoes of the writing, write down questions related to your story, characters, setting, etc. This will break up the blank page and give you story-specific things to think about as you begin your writing process.
Don’t Start at the Start
At this stage, there’s no need to begin your writing project at the beginning. What chapter, scene, or sequence gets you excited about the project? Is there a character’s description that intrigues you most?
Why not start there?
It’s all part of the same project, and if writing that piece gets the words flowing, then that’s the best place to start.
Remember, you can always go back and write the beginning later.
This year, fight the good by dominating and defeating the evil and dastardly blank page. Your creativity is counting on you!
Happy New Year, and I’ll see you in two weeks!