How to Beat the Blank Page and "Just Write"

 

How to "just write" when you see nothing but a blank page.

There’s no such thing as writer’s block. As long as your fingers can move over the keyboard, eventually it’ll segue into something.

Mary Kay Andrews.

Writing can feel like your climbing a mountain, or working your way through a maze or puzzle.  All of these tasks feel monumental inside of your head, and often lead no where.  This is when writer's block sets in.

Even when you do get started, you come across one problem, try fixing that one, then another crops up, So the problem's continue until you feel like you're chasing your tail.

Always remember, every writer goes through this, and often its just par for the course but we're going to look some ideas to beat the blank page and "just write."

Don't Wait for Perfection, "Just Write"

When you have ideas swimming around inside of your mind the best thing you can do with them is write them down.  Even if they sound awful, what you'll discover is the seed of something that you can develop and grow and turn into something great.

Most of the time your ideas will come out looking like gobbledegook, which means you need to refine your process and make your writing shine.

Learn to Write for Yourself First

Often writing for your readers means you can easily get distracted and stray away from the message you want to convey.  Instead, try writing for yourself, and switch it to the reader's point of view when you're editing.

Write Badly

Write anything, write something, just write.

All relevant thoughts and ideas should be put down on paper.  This will help you in the long term as a writer, and will help you sharpen your writing skills.  The more you write the clearly you'll see things come together.

The More You Write the Better You'll Become

If you only have a small amount of information about a subject you can always fill in the blanks later on.  Any information you've left out can be filled in later on.

Embrace Disorder

When you write, write everything that's in your mind about the subject at hand.  Any gaps you have write an ellipsis (three dots'...').  Fill them in later.

This way you can follow your thoughts on with extra facts and things you might have missed the first time around.

Take Five

If your writing something, and no matter how you try, the tap just won't run.  That's when you need to take a break.  

A short break away from your writing will help to gather your thoughts together and finish off what you started, and it will also give you a fresh set of eyes on what you've already written.

Minimise Distractions

There's nothing worse than sitting down to write and being distracted by a video on YouTube, your social media, or anything else going on around you.

Instead of listening to your distractions, take the time to listen to your own thoughts.  Learn to focus on the task in hand.

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Read more:

What is Clear Writing and How Can It Help You Be a Better Writer

How to Reach Your Audience When You Write

How to Plan Your Writing

How to Research Your Writing to Give t Substance

How Much is Enough When You Write?