Writing Tips: The Blank Page

You might have noticed that this post is about three hours late. It is now Tuesday, so you are correct. However, in my defense, I would like to say that I have spent my entire day believing that it was Sunday. Apparently, owning a calendar filled with beautiful pictures of Ireland does not mean that I will actually look at said calendar. My apologies for not updating earlier.

Anyway, right now, Camp NaNoWriMo is in full (beta) swing, so I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on writing!

Today I sat down in front of my computer and I opened three blank documents. Then I put my hands on the keyboard and... nothing. I stared at the screen like it was going to eat me and then I decided to go and do something else.

One of the most difficult things a writer faces on a daily basis is the blank page.

I'm currently terrified of it, even though I know I should be writing my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. 


The thing is, I just can't start. 


When I look at a blank page in front of me, I see possibility and perfection. It's like looking out at a fresh, thick layer of snow on the ground. It's pretty, it sparkles in the sunlight, and it's untouched. Somewhere deep inside of me, I have this overwhelming urge to run out and trample all over it. And, during the winter, I do run out into the snow. I stomp around like a little kid. I build snow forts and snow men. I make snow angels and I make snowballs to eat or throw at unsuspecting victims. And, at the end of the day, I wander back inside feeling satisfied... until I look outside.


Upon seeing the horrible mess that I've made out of the once pristine snow, I am irritated at myself for giving in to that impulse and ruining something so beautiful. 


I feel the same way about blank pages. 


I have all of these awesomely wonderful ideas in my head, but when I sit down to write, I can't do it. The blank page is pristine and anything I write on there - if it comes out as anything less than perfect - will ruin it. 

The other prominent issue I have with the blank page lies a little bit farther down the line. I know that, someday, someone else will be looking at whatever I write in that document. And if I don't think it is perfect then, certainly, no one else will want to see it. Sure, they'll ask to see it at first, but I know they'll walk away disappointed. And that fact, along with the issue of ruining perfection, keeps me from writing a single word.

This post isn't really a writing tip, you see, because it is a present issue.  Even in the middle of Camp NaNoWriMo, which is meant to get you writing with literary abandon - I cannot move. This post isn't a tip, simply because it doesn't have a solution.


This post is here to let you other writers know that you are not alone. 


Numerous people suffer from fear of the blank page.


I said this post doesn't have a solution in it, but the truth is that it only lacks a solution that I have already used. 


You can never move forward if you don't take the first step, and stagnate water is no good for drinking. 


This week, my goal is to take the first step and ruin a piece of paper without caring too much.  After all, how bad can it be? (Excuse me while I cringe and try not to think about that question.)


So, what is your goal for this week?