Facing the Blank Page
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One question I hear time and again from students is a simple one: how to begin? When it comes to facing the blank page, writers develop all kinds of strategies to build momentum: set a timer for 15 minutes, use an app to block use of email and Internet, stop writing in the middle of a sentence so the next day it’s easy to pick back up where you left off (often called “parking downhill”).
But when the same old strategies fail, how do you get started again? And what makes a good beginning anyway? How do we “hook” a reader right from the first line?
When it comes to facing the blank page, there are several strategies that I’ve found useful over the years.
- Begin a writing session by physically typing out a paragraph by a writer you love. This allows you to get inside their sentences, feel their rhythm, analyze their choices. It can be the opening of a favorite book, short story, or essay, or really any paragraph at all. Just open the book, start typing, and perhaps your own writing wheels will start turning.
- Establish a routine that signals to your brain it is time to work. For me, a cup of coffee and a familiar playlist serve this function. When I hit play on that playlist, the signal is sent that now is the time to get to work, that all other responsibilities and thoughts can wait.
- Read something outside your genre, just for pleasure. For me, that means poetry. If I’m having a hard time getting started, I take 10 minutes to read for pleasure, and pick up a book of poetry. Something about the different genre removes stress and anxiety from the process of getting started.
- Write a letter to yourself (or a friend) about your current writing problem. Basically, just start typing. Sometimes just trying to explain the nuances of a writing problem helps to find a way in, whether to an essay, book chapter, or entire project.
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