Why the Blank Screen Is Scary
Ah, the blank screen.
The blank screen. It’s an invitation to look foolish, to be boring, to write something that we’ll regret. Some of us can use the blank screen to scare the proverbial pants off ourselves imagining how badly we might screw things up.
The blank screen reminds us that our thoughts will be there for the world to see.
A famous Guindon Cartoon said it better.
Writing is nature’s way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is.
Fear of a blank screen, writer’s block, really is — a subtle fear of exposure — fear that people will see things in our thoughts.
Combine that fear with the idea of marring a pure and perfect white screen, and a writer can get totally ‘whelmed. (Who needs to be overwhelmed? Feeling ‘whelmed is quite big enough for me, thank you.)
It helps to know what we’re up against.
Unblanking the Blank Screen
The key to unblanking the scary blank screen is getting something on it we want to say. Some writers can type until they know what that is. I’m not one of them.
I find freewriting visually stressful. When I do that, all I see is a blank screen getting messier and messier. All I feel is me getting more and more distracted by the problem that I don’t know what I want to write.
What I do instead is look away from the menace of the vast white space. I get up and hunt down one sentence — only one — one sentence that says something I want to say. I use questions like these to help me.
- What something have I learned or learned about lately?
- What news have I heard that I’d enjoy adding my point of view to?
- What have I read that I might want to recommend?
- What pithy comment was left on my blog this week? How might I respond?
- What pattern, behavior, trend have I noticed?
- What question do I have that I want answered?
- What skill or a technique might I teach?
- What argument might I give the pro/con to?
- What lesson have I learned this week? What funny story can I share?
- What pet peeve or problem have I got a solution to?
The possible questions are unlimited, of course. I start with these, and look through books, cabinets and drawers, and the refrigerator while I’m thinking. The moving around and looking helps my brain unfreeze.
It’s not long before a sentence warms up to me.
I go back to my computer, and I write that sentence across the screen.
The screen is not blank anymore. I’m no longer distracted by its emptiness.
Now I can get to writing.
That sentence? It often becomes my headline. When it’s not, it’s usually my last line. Can you tell which one it is this time?
What questions would you ask to help folks unblank the blank screen?
UPDATE: IF you don’t read Joe’s post Liz Had My Idea Before Me, you’ll be missing a clever and entertaining blogger’s post.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you think Liz can help with a problem you’re having with your writing, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.
Related
Why Dave Barry and Liz Donââ¬â¢t Get Writerââ¬â¢s Block
Donââ¬â¢t Hunt IDEAS ââ¬â Be an Idea Magnet
10 Ways to Start a Blog Post ââ¬â 01-29-07
Hi Liz
“(Who needs to be overwhelmed? Feeling ââ¬Ëwhelmed is quiet big enough for me, thank you.)”
LoL, what a great find!
As for blank screens and the first sentence you use to tackle it: my first sentence usually comes from a little note I jotted down earlier for myself so I wouldn’t forget it and leisurely can expand on it once I tranfer it to that blank screen.
Don’t realy know the ‘feeling’ of a blank screen I must confess (blank jotter leafs, yes I do know them ;-))
Hi Karin!
I have lots of “whelmed” words in my vocabulary. They’re my list of word with syllables we don’t need to spend the extra energy for. 🙂
After years, and years, and years , writing on demand, I don’t have much problem with a blank page or screen either, but I know exactly what I do to make sure that I don’t. 🙂
At the moment I am having just the opposite problem! Too much to say, too many places to say it, and not enough time to get it all out! LOL
I’ve been there with that blank screen though, and these are great tips! (As always)
Best wishes to you for a terrific day, hon. Saw you on the 2000, I’m in there somewhere – LOL
Hi Liz
(is it too much to ask to have a peek into that list of you? Love to LoL which I’m sure many will have me do).
Marti: know the feeling of too much, too many and too few.
(and then my little jotter pad – when I;m not in front of the pc – overflows)
Hi Marti!
Put an idea in your head before you go sleep. You’ll wake in the morning ready to write that post. 🙂
I’ll have to check the 2000. I’ve not been there for days. I bet I’ll find you in a second. 🙂
Hi Karin!
You mean my list of words that have too many syllables? It’s only in my head. They just come out when I need one to make people laugh. 🙂
Some day I’ll do my routine on why you never day a guy who’s name is a verb. 🙂
Funny, the blank screen doesn’t daunt me, it’s the pages and pages of already written stuff that scream “you better get back here and edit.”
Best sources of ideas come from walking, sans iPod, sans everything (although shoes, pants and a shirt are a good idea).
I’m working on a short story right now that came from this phrase that popped into my head while walking. “I do not own a gravy boat.” Seems to be floating into interesting, murky water…
Hi Lisa!
I think that folks who understand their creative process work with it and thus don’t have the problem. Dave Barry says that writer’s block is nothing more than knowing that writing is hard work.
“ââ¬ÅI do not own a gravy boat.ââ¬Â And neither does my friend, Liz. 🙂
Good advice. I don’t waste too much time staring at a blank screen. I find mindlessly repetitive action, like bouncing a ball against the wall, clears my mind and let’s me conquer the blank screen.
A little notebook of words or phrases of trigger material is also helpful to me when I’m stuck with nothing to say.
As a writer myself, I cannot recommend highly enough “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. A directly applicable quote, “The secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.” The entire paragraph is worthwhile, but I have problems entering flow, not finding the words. Anyone in the Chicago area wanting to borrow my copy of the book – email me at madcap1one at yahoo.com. Liz, I would love to meet you for coffee one of these days as a loyal lurker.
Cube!
What fun to see you here! I lurk at your blog often — even comment once year or so. 🙂
Yeah, I’m into the repetitive motion thing too. I often sway side to side at my keyboard when I’m just thinking up a word. 🙂
Hi Mad Cap,
I sit down to write out of habit. It’s the only chair in the living room that I sit in. Maybe that helps. 🙂
Coffee sounds great!! Shoot me an email and we’ll get together. I have a goal to meet Chicago bloggers and bloggers-to-be as often as I can! 🙂
Hey Liz,
Thanks for the nod (and the call). Now, back to looking at my screen that is filled with way too much to do. 🙂
Liz; a great list of helps, PLUS – I use the one in your following sentence for last-resort help (the refridgerator) – when all else fails, there’s always cheesecake! (Thank goodness I’m kidding!)
Is your key sentence this one: “What questions would you ask to help folks unblank the blank screen?”
Joe,
It was such fun to read, I had to come back and point it out to everyone! 🙂
Hi Robert!
Thanks. Cheesecake can be very inspiring. I’m with you on that. It’s the eating that can be a problem. 🙂
Words of advice from one of the greats:
“Just slap anything on when you see a blank canvas staring you in the face like some imbecile. You don’t know how paralyzing that is, that stare of a blank canvas is, which says to the painter, ââ¬ËYou can’t do a thingââ¬â¢. The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerizes some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves. Many painters are afraid in front of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the real, passionate painter who dares and who has broken the spell of `you can’t’ once and for all.ââ¬Â
~Vincent Van Gogh
(Letter to Theo van Gogh, October 1884)
Oh Alvin!
That quote is so wonderful! I’ve never run into that before, and I’m such a fan of Van Gogh. Thank you for the time I know it took to find it, type it in, and proof it for us to have it here.
You are a giver. 🙂
Can totally relate to this post. I’ve absolutely come to the conclusion that fear is a huge element of my writing.
Hi Shanna!
Taking care of the souorce of the fear is what this post is supposed to be about. Once we recognie what drives the fear — usually our interal editor, the bad boy with the big mouth, who’s sure we’re not good enough — we can do something to handle him in a way that keeps him quiet until his services are helpful — say for example during the editing stages. 🙂
Hey Liz!
I’m going to hold a workshop this Saturday to help 10 individuals get started on blogging, would you allow me to use the 10 questions to help my participants unblank their blank screens when they need to?
Of course, I’d say I got them from the great Liz of successful-blog.com! 🙂
Hi Kian Ann!
Thank you for asking.
Of course, you may! I’d be honored! 🙂
Thank you so much Liz! 🙂
Kian Ann,
You’re are so welcome. It’s my pleasure. 🙂
Hey! In January, I also posted a blog on the blank page and here are some of the great suggestions / responses that I received:
http://thewomblog.com/?p=297
Universal problem, I suspect.