7 Ways to Conquer the Blank Page
By: Jason Mcbride
Tags: Business, Advice, Life Lessons, Freelancing, Writing

I’ve made a full-time living as a writer for more than eight years. During my career, I’ve published more than 4 million words. Most of those words were for clients. But I have also published three books and countless articles.

Having written so many words about so many different subjects, you would think that the blank page would no longer hold any terror for me.

You would be wrong.

The worst part about being a writer is that every day you are starting from scratch. The blank page is there mocking you — daring you to try your feeble skills against its eternal emptiness.

The best part about being a writer is that every day you are starting from scratch. You have a fresh chance to create something fantastic.

I approach writing the same way no matter if I’m writing for a business client, a magazine, a book, or myself. Over the years, I have learned how to keep my terror of the blank page at bay long enough to get started. If you can manage to start, to write a few lines — no matter how awful — you will have gained the upper hand.

Here are seven tactics I use in my daily battles against the blank page.

Enter Battle with an Arsenal

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A blank page and a blinking cursor create a lot of pressure. It’s like when you are out with your friends and someone mentions that you’re funny, and some stranger demands that you tell them a joke.

The pressure to perform can cause your brain to freeze.

Many writers get stuck because they wait until they are in front of the computer to write. This is too late.

If you come to the blank page with a skeletal outline of what you plan on writing that day, you take off all the pressure. You don’t have to figure out what to write. Instead, you look at your outline and get to work.

Sometimes I will write an introduction to a piece in my head while doing dishes or some other mindless task. If I like what I have, I will take a moment to jot down my ideas in my phone.

Show Up with Confidence

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Researchers recently conducted an in-depth meta-study on willpower. It used to be the consensus that willpower was finite. The meta-study showed that whether willpower is finite or not depends entirely on your beliefs.

If you think willpower can be depleted by overuse, yours will be. If you don’t believe your willpower can be depleted by overuse, yours won’t be.

Writer’s block works the same way. If you believe in writer’s block, you will be susceptible to it.

I don’t have the luxury of believing in writer’s block. If I don’t write, I don’t make any money.

When you show up with the confidence of knowing that writer’s block is a myth, you never have to worry about being stymied by it. Instead, you can start writing.

Cheat

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If you are having a hard time starting something, cheat. Instead of writing the beginning first, start at the end or the middle.

The writing police will not come bust down your door and haul you away if you start somewhere else besides the beginning.

Often, my best pieces start with a conclusion. I then work backwards to construct a story and argument that leads up to the conclusion.

Bivouac

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Rest is one of the most important parts of my writing success. I get eight hours of sleep most nights. This means that I start each day well-rested and eager to get started.

I have four children. When they were younger, I rarely got eight hours of sleep. Many nights, I barely got any sleep.

On days where I am tired, I take several long breaks and take at least a short nap.

Even on days when I am well-rested, I still take frequent breaks, including taking one or more long walks. If I am struggling to finish something, I will take a break and come back to it later. If possible, I will let it sit overnight.

Level Up

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In video games, you often have to level up your character before taking on a powerful enemy. If the blank page is regularly overpowering you, you need to level up.

The best way to level up is to absorb as much creativity as you can. Read, watch TV, go to an art museum, doodle, or color. These activities fill your brain with resources that you can draw on consciously and sub-consciously when you write.

Don’t limit yourself to content in the same genre or niche you are writing. The best ideas often come when two unrelated thoughts collide and form a new element in a strange nuclear reaction.

Surrender is Not an Option

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The blank page wants you to quit. That is the only way it can win. You can win by writing something, anything. You can always edit or rewrite lousy prose. You cannot edit a blank page.

If you tell yourself you can always write later, you rob yourself of the ability to write now. Writing success is more about mindset than it is about skill.

Even if you are struggling, never walk away from a blank page. You may never come back. Tell yourself you will take a break after you write one paragraph or even one sentence.

If you can write something down, you will have won the day.

Switch Targets

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Because I’m a freelancer, I always have more than one project going at a time. Usually, I focus on a single client project before moving on to anything else. Sometimes when I’m stuck in the middle of a piece, instead of banging my head in frustration, I switch to something else.

Often the simple act of changing topics will free your mind. Switching projects also allows you to keep your writing momentum and limits the negative self-talk that often happens when you are stumped by an assignment.

Every writer starts with a blank page. It’s the great equalizer. If you are serious about your career as a writer, you will have to face the same enemy for the rest of your working life. However, the power of the blank page remains the same. If you come prepared and build your skills, you will find it easier to beat this enemy at each encounter.