The Blank Page Conundrum

You have the idea in your head, but the words won’t come.

Why is it so hard to get started on a new project?

The fear of the blank page is very real for some writers and it’s not a lack of creativity. It’s something else stopping you.

I call it a conundrum.

Writers love the written word, except when we must face them. Black on white, or is it white on black?

Why is it so hard to start from scratch on a blank page?

You suddenly find yourself in a time paradox and delay starting for a million reasons. Distractions take over the here and now.

The dog needed a walk, your email inbox got your attention, the kids needed a ride to practice, the vegetable garden needed weeding, a neighbor turned up at the door, or your cell rang.

An hour or so later and that blank page is still glaring at you.

Strategies to get you going.

Try to set aside a time to write without distractions. I know it’s easier said than done if you have a family or pets or anything else that eats up your time.

If you love writing, you will find the time.

Turn off your cell phone, or if you must have it turned on, put it in silent mode, or do not disturb. That way, you shouldn’t get an annoying ping every five seconds.

Use a timer. It can help you to find your focus. You can use a phone app technique called the “Pomodoro technique, “named after the Italian word Pomodoro, which means tomato. A Pomodoro is a timed 25 minutes followed by a short break.

Behavior scientist, B.J. Fogg’s research (Stanford University) shows that it’s easier to start small habits and build on them than do big changes straight away. Fogg demonstrates that human behavior through motivation, ability, and prompt work best when they happen at the same time.

Once you get into the habit of writing often, it will become second nature.

When you get through the hurdle of avoiding getting started, the joy of writing always wins. Sentences turn into paragraphs and pages. Your writing mojo has finally arrived.

Some writers are lucky and the smell of the brand-new page gets their creative juices going. They write so hard that they forget to eat and sleep before they eventually stop.

What type of writer are you?

Some writers are plotters and plan everything before they begin writing. Other writers are pantsers and fly through their narratives right from the start.

Neither method is better than the other. In fact, many writers blend the two writing styles.

Does it take you zillion drafts to get going, or do you just go for it and edit after the fact?

Find your writing inspiration.

Let’s try a quick writing exercise. Pick up a random object or choose something that you can see from where you are sitting. Write about it for ten minutes without stopping.

How did you get on?

Sometimes a quick free write can kick start your writing when you can’t get over the blank page. I use free writing often, especially when I brainstorm a new idea, or something that I need to capture like an emotion or a character in my narratives. I like to play with my words and sentences until they fit what I need them to do.

It’s okay to play around with your words, sentences, and dialogue to make them work. Writing should be fun and not a chore.

Another exercise you can do is choose a topic like time, beginnings, endings, introductions, and characterization. Choose one of your favorite books and pick a random page. Notice how the writer handle this? Write down a few examples and see if it can work for you too.

Writing challenges is a great way to get inspiration. Give yourself a goal to work on during the week. For example, if you are researching a certain character trait to build into your writing, find how other writers do it, or even better, notice how people react around you.

How do people sound when they are frustrated and angry? How do people sound when they order food in a restaurant? What type of things does people notice about their surroundings? Notice the words and tone of voice and magpie these into your own writing.

Your real life is full of experiences and situations that you can use in your writing. Harness them and put them to the test.

Planning vs. speed

Do you plan your writing in advance? How does it affect your creativity?

Some writers fear that if they spend too long planning their novel, they never start writing it in the first place. But those who do get going get their first draft exactly how they wanted it, so the planning paid off.

If you’re a pantser, how fast do you write? Do you edit mistakes as you go along or do you keep on going like a tornado, annihilating the blank page with words?

When do you stop checking whether your narrative works?

How do you decide where to plant your clues?

How do you make sure that your story has a cohesive structure?

For some of you pantsers out there, these just happen naturally while you write. Other writers have to think about them.

Harvesting ideas from writers

If you’re like me and binge read books in a few hours, you will already have stories flowing in your mind. What you read helps shape the type of writer you are because you’re influenced by everything.

You can learn so much from other writers and pick up on their techniques and how they write to keep you engrossed.

Let’s be honest, if a writer can keep your attention, then there must be something about their story telling that works.

My advice is to read wide. Don’t just read in the same genre that you’re writing in but read other books too or poetry if you’re a poet.

When I was working on my MFA, I took a class on grotesque horror and supernatural. I’m a thriller / romance and mental health writer but the class taught me more about myself as a writer than any of the others I took.

The reason is because I had to relearn everything I knew about my writing style to be able to write a horror story. I was proud when I earned myself a B+ at the end of that class because it meant the world to me that I could write across genres.

Why don’t you pick up a book today in a different genre? Try and read it to the end and ask yourself what you have learned. Trust me, there’s always something new to learn but you have to work for it.

Trying to write in a different genre is a great way to grow as a writer.

Capturing writing techniques from every day

My advice is to invest in a notebook. Don’t buy an expensive one that is too nice to use. Buy one that you can take with you wherever you go and write down inspirations from everyday life. It doesn’t matter if it’s getting dog eared with coffee stains, the main thing is that it’s getting used. Keep it with you when you watch TV or go to new places. Heck, keep it with you wherever you go, you never know who you’ll meet or what you’ll see.

I write every day on anything that I can find. I’m known to scribble a few sentences on sticky notes in class, or random pieces of scrap paper. I often write on anything that I can get my hands on, but I prefer to keep my notes in my notebook.

A notebook is your best friend when you are researching a new novel because you can go back and read your information when you’ve returned to the keyboard.

You can organize your notebook in any way that works best for you. I like to scribble notes and then have a different section where I write clearer, more gathered thoughts ready to be typed up.

Your notebook is your writing life, where you keep ideas and research together. It’s your recipe for your new project and it’s private.

Have fun with your writing and let me know how you get on. I’d love to hear from my readers.

My name is Lizzy. I’m a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.

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For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com

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Check out my other articles:

What kind of writer are you?

Writing a Master’s Thesis