There are times, more than not, that I just don't know what to write. The muse isn't in my ear whispering as my fingers fight to keep up as they type away on the keyboard. I don't have this shiny bright new idea that is like coveted gold treasure that you will write the adventure that it takes for you to reach it as it is guarded by a monstrous dragon and other beasts that go bump in the night.
The desire is there. You're sitting at the computer with the word processor open with the little cursor blinking away as it waits for you put type away on the key board. It's as if it's begging for you to paint a world of words on its blank page. It's life is not complete without those words and you have a big fat NOTHING.
Then the self loathing sets in. You know the story, the characters, the plot, but nothing is coming out. This is where you have to push through the pain to get something on the page. As Nora Roberts has said, "You can't fix a blank page." And you know what it's true.
They say that you need to write every single day. That the 'professional' writers are the ones that can write without their muse and take advantage of her when she does show up. And I think both of those are partly true. When you think you have the big fat nothing that's when you just need to put something down on the page the most.
I've actually started with new pages on my scrivner word processor that are supposed to be new scenes and put down what I thought should go there. "Wait doesn't that mean you just wrote a scene?" No, what I mean is I literally wrote down...character does something that makes their world feel like it's come to an end, something else, drama, maybe some sex, or a fight scene. It doesn't seem like anything but guess what, you put something down on the page. You got the words down. Cause guess what when your not dwelling on that big NOTHING feeling, you in reality have a place to start again tomorrow.
Cause that something something something drama might actually spark some inspiration the next day. It took me to actually doing this that I realized just how right everyone was. If you write something anything it's something that you can fix. Nothing comes out perfect the first time, so why not start with something crappy so that you can then bedazzle it later.
Join me as I take on this don't be a liar and put something down on the page. Even if it's a babbling mess cause if you say you have nothing you in reality are a liar liar pants of fire. If you have a character, or a setting, or a plot, then you have something that you can expand on.
I'm going to let you in on a little secrete. You can even write something that has to do with your novel that doesn't have to actually go in your book. Boom. Just blew your mind didn't I. I know I can be pretty amazing sometimes it even shocks me.
Seriously though, stamp out the chanting of I've got nothing and just let your fingers do the work. Stop over thinking it. Get your butt in that chair and write. No expectations. No requirements. No judgement. Just put something down.
Here let me help you get started...I'm an amazing writer that is currently having normal doubts about my talent. I feel like I have no words to put down on the page. So let me tell you about the idea I had for a book that I currently feel like I have no words for.....this is where you go on to write about that book that you seem to have nothing to write about.
It seems daunting to write something that you feel has nothing of value, but heres the thing, the more you write your nothing out you'll quickly realize that after 20 minutes or however long you are doing thins that your nothing has gone away and you can roll over into your manuscript.
Moral of the post, you don't have NOTHING, you just have a roadblock in the way from seeing what you do have. So write yourself a ladder and get to that something. Now, if you will excuse me I just happened to finished writing my own ladder and have a manuscript to finish.
Good luck all and I can't wait to read what you have one day.
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