I remember being told in school that if I couldn't think of anything to write, to just go ahead and write exactly that. As in: "I can't think of anything to write. I can't think of anything to write. I can't think of anything to write. I can't think of anything to write. I can't think of anything to write..." (Okay, you got it, I know.) Eventually, I was told, this would help me spark an idea. Or...not. I've been on the teacher side of that fence a time or two. Or four. Or, well, way more. I sympathize as well, then, with the teacher's frustration. It's hard to build from nothing.
Blank pages, though, have this way of mimicking brand new books. (Yes, I smell books. They're like calorie free chocolate!) Just like the tantalizing aroma of a new book, the blank page has the fresh, pristine possibility of being the greatest next thing EVER. There is then, in that potential, all the stress of making it perfect. Oh, bring on the stress balls, the worry stones, and (of course) the chocolate!
I confess to watching a little too much Frozen lately, but it is time to let it go. In fact, when I begin a new writing notebook, I purposefully record something messily right away. It gives me mental permission to let go of that need for perfectionism. Fellow author Sandy Hall (A Little Something Different) posted "tips for writing scenes" on her Tumblr recently and the last tip said to rewrite about 200 times. Exaggeration, yes, but not in principle. You will need to rewrite and rewrite. You won't need to write, "I can't think of what to rewrite, I can't think of what to rewrite..."
Just get something down. The names of characters in a scene. A description of how someone looks. A sensory image from the place where you're writing, even if it's an annoying hum of fluorescent lights. Repeat and repeat again. Think of the blank page not as needing to be filled with perfect but with possibility, lots of possibilities.
Of course, just like athletes, those who practice daily find the words begin to come more easily. For me, nothing kicks me into writing gear better than a daily word count goal. Want some online accountability? Camp NaNoWriMo (the summer version of National Novel Writing Month) kicks off its July session today and you can get some virtual cabin mates to hold you to your word count goals as well as lots of tips for making word count. Visit https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in to sign up!
Blank pages, though, have this way of mimicking brand new books. (Yes, I smell books. They're like calorie free chocolate!) Just like the tantalizing aroma of a new book, the blank page has the fresh, pristine possibility of being the greatest next thing EVER. There is then, in that potential, all the stress of making it perfect. Oh, bring on the stress balls, the worry stones, and (of course) the chocolate!
I confess to watching a little too much Frozen lately, but it is time to let it go. In fact, when I begin a new writing notebook, I purposefully record something messily right away. It gives me mental permission to let go of that need for perfectionism. Fellow author Sandy Hall (A Little Something Different) posted "tips for writing scenes" on her Tumblr recently and the last tip said to rewrite about 200 times. Exaggeration, yes, but not in principle. You will need to rewrite and rewrite. You won't need to write, "I can't think of what to rewrite, I can't think of what to rewrite..."
Just get something down. The names of characters in a scene. A description of how someone looks. A sensory image from the place where you're writing, even if it's an annoying hum of fluorescent lights. Repeat and repeat again. Think of the blank page not as needing to be filled with perfect but with possibility, lots of possibilities.
Of course, just like athletes, those who practice daily find the words begin to come more easily. For me, nothing kicks me into writing gear better than a daily word count goal. Want some online accountability? Camp NaNoWriMo (the summer version of National Novel Writing Month) kicks off its July session today and you can get some virtual cabin mates to hold you to your word count goals as well as lots of tips for making word count. Visit https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in to sign up!
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