Is there anything scarier than a blank page? Whether it is a pristine white sheet of printer paper, a blinking cursor on your computer screen, a lined sheet of notebook paper, or the back of an envelope when it’s empty, it’s scary. Especially when you can’t think of anything to cover all that empty space.
Countless times I’ve read that readers like white space. And they do. They just don’t like it when all the space is white. If they did, I could write a New York Times bestseller.
My dilemma got me thinking. What do writer’s do when they can’t think of anything to fill up a page? I’ll share a few things I’ve done and I hope you’ll leave a comment sharing your tips.
1. Sometimes I just write junk and then that junk will get my creative juices flowing. Other authors call it freewriting.
2. I’ve been known to write the beginning of a new story. Same reason – just to get the muse to work. Once it is, then it’s back to the story at hand.
3. Other time I just plow through it. The words might be stinky, but they can be fixed in the editing phase.
4. Ashamed to admit this, but sometimes I shut the file and do something else.
5. Pray for words.
The most enjoyable of the tricks is writing the beginning of a new story simply because that’s my favorite part of any new book.
The most beneficial is plowing through and fixing whatever is wrong during the editing phase. That way I stay on track and finish my story on time.
What do you do when facing the dreaded blank page? What tip works best for you? I’d love it if you’d leave me a comment. Plus, you’ll save me from looking at more white space! 😊
Readers can connect with Terri:
Website
Seriously Write
