Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Tuesday's Inspiration ala Dorothy Unhak #amwriting #MFRW


While reading this essay by Dorothy Uhnhak, I came across another tidbit that struck me and was oh, so true. She's talking about an event in writing I also face every day. "At the beginning of the day,I am a pauper before the blank white paper."

Made me feel good to know someone else struggling to put words on paper feels the same way. In my case, it's not the blank paper but the empty computer screen. The start is usually slow with one word followed by another word and suddenly the flow happens and the scene takes form. Now sometimes I may hit the delete key and erase many of the words written, but the act of writing them helps coalesce the random thoughts in my head. The words I keep and the words I've deleted start to add up. The thoughts form. Those words removed often are back story I needed to know to give life to the characters and a goal for the plot.

There are some days when the blank page just stares back at me. I refuse to let it remain blank, so one word at a time. That's the way I read and that's the way I write.

How about you to you find the blank page to be a challenge? Do you just simply stare at it and wait for the words to miraculously form? Do you start one word at a time until the flow begins? No matter if you have to hit the delete key or just jot some note that you'll finn in later. One can't be a writer unless they're putting word after word on that blank screen.

1 comment:

Melissa Keir said...

The blank screen can be daunting. It's important to just move forward. :)