WRITING
Battling the Blank Page
Get started writing when nothing comes to mind.
Today is one morning that I stared at the blank page and could not decide what to write. Well, the truth be told, I wasn’t writing in long-hand, but in fact typing, the blank page wasn’t paper, but instead my computer screen. Either way, you get the point.
I have over 900 topics, thoughts, or headline suggestions on my list of things that I have told myself that I would like to write on one day, yet not a one jumped out at me.
Of those 900 plus topics, I would say that several hundred of them might be great things to write about. Yes, easily several hundred that you might find interesting. Or perhaps not, when I finally write about them, you and I will know.
Yet, with those 900 plus great new articles, I could not find one interested me. Not one!
I scanned the top of the list, just the headline suggestions. I often told myself, “yes, that one will be good to write on tomorrow.” Yet nothing screamed out, “write about me today”!
I scanned the topics list, many from suggestions from podcasts that I listen to like “Start with This.”
I write those ideas/topics or dictate them through Siri to my list for future use. For days just like this. For those instances, when I can’t decide what to write, I can write about those ideas. It won’t be today.
I then looked around the keywords column on my list. Heck, nothing there to write about either. Nothing jumping out at me saying, “write about me”! After all this searching, I then turned to Medium itself to see if anything inspired me. Nope, not today.
Yet, for all that searching, I knew that I had to write this morning. It was on my list to write. It was in my calendar, and it is one of my goals.
Most importantly, writing something, writing a story is what I wanted to do. I know that I had to do it, or the day would not be complete.
I didn’t need to write this story because I had to, heck no, or just wouldn’t. I would delete the notation in my calendar or delete the goal from my mind.
This morning for all that soul searching, topic, and idea search, I just knew that I wanted to write. I HAD to write, or my day would not start, and at the end of the day would not be complete.
Have you ever felt that way? Felt like if you didn’t write, you would remain lost through the day?
When you have planned to write, yet couldn’t find the words, what do you do? Do you succumb, or do you push through?
I have read many articles that suggest that when you can’t come up with something to write about, you do what Nike says in their slogan; “Just Do It.”
Just doing it is what I told myself this morning. Sure, I couldn’t find a topic, an idea, a ramble to go on, or use one of my many “keywords,” but I still wrote.
Writing this morning is not about the result, but for me, it is about the journey. Much like “life,” it is not where I end up, what I write about, but how I get there.
Don’t you feel like that somedays? When you sit down to write, don’t you feel like you do your best work, even if only in your eyes, when you don’t have a “map”?
I have been doing a lot of reading lately, and one book that I have been enjoying is Stephen King’s memoir “On Writing.”
In Stephen’s book (I hope it’s OK to be on a first-name basis), he writes about many instances of similar struggles of not knowing what to write. How he would find himself bumping around in his mind, then he would find the words flowing from his pen.
I found those passages incredibly fascinating since, for me, it was reminding me that as a writer that the only person I truly needed to make happy with my writing was “me.”
Sure, we all seek acclaim in our writing, even if only our vested family and friends throw the flowers.
And as Stephen King says more than once in his book, doing what you love for a living is even more fun when it helps pay the bills. Yes, food on the table is nice to have.
So, much like Mr. King describes as a writer, it’s OK to get stuck in your head sometimes. Yet, as he and other writers say, the key is not to take up shop there, that is in your head, but to venture out.
Don’t stay in your head, stewing about losing a topic or story idea not coming to you, but instead do your job, what you love, and “write.”
So, with all this being said, what are you writing about today? I am looking forward to reading it!
In Closing
As you read above I was really struggling with coming up with what to write, then it all started to flow. Maybe too much, but I hope it made sense, and perhaps it helped you too.
Do you have suggestions on how to make progress in my and other readers' writing attempts? If so, I would love to know of them if you care to share. You can post them in the comments of course, or feel free to Tweet me on Twitter.
Need Inspiration to Get Started? Perhaps this Poem Will Help?
About Michael
Michael Thacker is a not so young adult blogger, aspiring writer, and sometimes seller of real estate.
Michael tweets a LOT on Twitter. Posts every once in a while on Facebook. Occasionally lets his opinions be known to friends, family, and anyone else that will listen.
Connect with Michael
You can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MichaelThackerI.
If you want to connect on Facebook, the best place is https://www.facebook.com/RMichaelThacker/
