The Blank Page Holds No Fear For A Brave Writer

Every writer confronts the dreaded blank page

It is white, stark and for many writers and authors, downright intimidating.

Whether it is a fresh sheet of paper or a blank word processor template with its infuriating little flashing cursor, it is the same. You have nothing in front of your eyes except emptiness.

The blank page is the void into which the brave writer must always dive without fear or hesitation.

Just do it and fear not the result.

The only proven way to eliminate an empty white page is to overcome its fearsome superpowers by bravely and purposefully adding one letter, then one word and then one sentence.

When you take these three simple actions, you will have defeated the monster of nothingness.

What writers say about the blank page

When you are in doubt about what to say, or how to prove your point, quoting famous people usually helps.

You can fix anything but a blank page. – Nora Roberts

You can’t edit a blank page. – Nora Roberts

You must not come lightly to the blank page. – Stephen King

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. – Jack London

I enjoy the freedom of the blank page. – Irvine Welsh

I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper. – Steve Martin

In movies, storytelling and every single art form, we’re creating wonder. You’re starting with a blank page and creating something that doesn’t exist. – David Copperfield

There’s something about a blank page that makes me tingle. -Nikki Grimes

A blank screen or piece of paper is not writer’s block

You can only suffer from writer’s block if you are in the process of writing and you are then suddenly unable to continue doing so.

If you haven’t written a single word, you can’t be blocked because you haven’t started a process that can be stopped.

Perhaps I could have written that last sentence much better. But at least I got it written, and it can now fulfil its prime purpose of exorcising a small area of white blankness from my screen.

How to be a brave writer

It doesn’t matter what your writing projects are. Books, articles, essays and blog posts all start the same way – by writing one word and then adding a few more words to make one sentence.

But if you hate writing that first word, here are a few ways you can avoid writing it at all.

1. Never start writing on a blank page

You can do this so easily. Whenever you have an idea or even half of an idea, quickly tap it out into the writing program you use.

If you have made a note on your phone or in any note-taking app, just copy and paste it. Then save it as a new document. You might do this ten or twenty times a week.

Then, whenever you want to start writing, select one of your saved documents. Presto. No clean page.

2. Pick a word, any word

Before you open your new page, think of one word. It, there, that, who, when or yesterday. It doesn’t matter what word you choose.

Now open your writing program and type in your first word.

Whatever word you write to start, it will lead you to a second, third and fourth word.

3. Walk away

Never sit staring at a blank screen or blank page. If you do – it wins, you lose.

Walk away from it and make a coffee, read or go for a walk. Refuse to look at it again until you can formulate a sentence in your head.

It doesn’t need to rank as the best sentence you have ever written. It only needs to be one sentence.

Then go back and instantly defeat the dreaded beast with a few slashing keystrokes.

4. You will delete it or edit it anyway, so why worry?

Rarely will the first few sentences of any piece of writing make it through to the final draft.

Very often, the best opening lines of a text are rewritten at a much later stage.

So don’t fret about them now. Just let them do their temporary job of occupying what would otherwise be white space.

Slay the dragon

You don’t need to be a brave writer to conquer a white page. But you should never try to stare it down. It will always win that game.

All you need to do is overcome any trepidation you might have. The best way to defeat any fear you might have is with words – your weapon of choice.

Try using one of the four tips I have noted above to help you.

Don’t be intimidated. Be confident in knowing that you can win the battle of the blank page every single time.