The Curse of the Blank Page

Before I sold, I wrote 18 complete manuscripts and 8 partials.
Since I've sold, I've written 13 complete manuscripts and numerous partials.

So, that's 31 complete manuscripts I've written.

That's a lot, right?

So, then WHY is the blank page of a new manuscript SO daunting!?!?! Why doesn't it get easier to write that first word and get going? I have my brainstorming all done. I know my characters. I know my story. I know the story will work. And yet, as I sit there staring at the blinking cursor, I feel completely out of my depth. How do I start? Where do I begin? I'm sooo lost. I'm soooo overwhelmed.

What if I start in the wrong place? Well... I'll just delete the scene and write a new one.

What if my first scene is boring? Well... I'll just edit it.

What if I discover I've missed a critical element in my brainstorming? Well...I'll adjust my story as I go.

What if this books sucks? Well... I'll fix it.

See? There is no big deal. There is no reason to panic. Anything is fixable. So WHY do I go through this every time before I start writing?

I have no idea, but it's torture. I feel like running away from the computer and never coming back. Run away! Run away! Run away! (Monty Python reference, fyi. Hilarious scene. But I digress. I'm in the middle of a crisis. No time for amusing myself!)

But running away isn't an option.

I must stand and fight.

I must prevail over the blank page.

But... ARGH! This is soooo difficult!!! If anyone has any suggestions to avoid this recurring crisis, I'm all ears.

And now, I am not going to procrastinate anymore. I'm going to go write. Something. Anything. A sentence. A paragraph. Anything. Just to get the ball rolling down that hill.

I. Can. Do. This.

posted by Stephanie Rowe @ 11:21 AM