On The Blank Page
When I tell people I’m a writer, some of my favorite responses are from those who voice their own writing dreams. Many of these people have asked me, How do you start? Or similarly, How do you get past the blank page?
That’s a damn good question! And one I’m still learning.
Stephen King says, “You must not come lightly to the blank page.”
While I completely agree, it doesn’t answer the question. How does one approach the blank page when it induces the same terror as, say, reading The Shining?
My short answer: you simply start. Once you’ve written something, even if it’s complete and utter crap, the blank page isn’t quite so scary.
But what about knowing what to write? What about The Great Idea?
To answer that question, I’ll reference another Stephen King quote: “Good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.”
The more you look for story ideas, the more you’ll discover. Ideas are the easy part; they’re distracting shiny object always floating by. Go to a museum, dig through your favorite memories, travel, do whatever sets you on fire and, trust me, The Idea will come. But even with The Idea, there’s still that pesky blank page…
Truth be told, the best way I’ve found to conquer the blank page is to practice. I love novel-writing, but it’s easy to forget how to start on a blank page with such a long term project. Which is why I also love writing short stories or, heck, even blog posts.
Short stories are great practice for starting with nothing, getting words on that page, and achieving the gratification of typing The End. I highly recommend writing short stories, even if they’re just for you, just to practice tackling the blank page.
Fellow writers, what are your tips for conquering the blank page?
What I’m reading: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
What I’m listening to: Am I Wrong — Nico & Vinz
You mentioned you are listening to Nico and Vinz. I sure like their new song and hope to hear more from them in the future. Your blog post is inspiring!
Thanks so much! Agreed, I love how upbeat Nico & Vinz’s single is and can’t wait to hear what they come out with next 🙂
I think you hit on something important, and something I need to be reminded of: practice. Don’t expect to be great or good, just practice a lot, learn and have fun.
Exactly, Julie! I especially love what you said about having fun — that’s such a pivotal part of writing. Fun-writing makes for fun-reading!