Beating the Blank Page – Guest Post by, Traci Kenworth…

Posted on by Chris The Story Reading Ape

One of my biggest plights as a writer is beating the blank page. It’s always a deterrent when I start a new manuscript. It takes a few minutes to linger, sometimes days before I get anything down. Once I have something set up, the words start to flow, but it’s getting past that white space that weighs on me. It doesn’t even have to be the start of the manuscript really. I have a hard time beginning a new chapter. How I get past it, is trying new things. A new title, in case that gets the words going. A new angle to come into the story or article at, believe me, it helps.

Most of the time, it’s not that I don’t know what to say, it’s just getting it phrased right, framing how that chapter’s going to go. I do outlines to frame things beforehand so that helps but to really dig into what I’m going to say, I have to give myself a bit of a push. Just get something down, I tell myself. Anything. Go from there. It’s a little like that first draft. It’s like pulling teeth but once you get the basics down of what you want to say, going back is easier. The framework’s done.

Sometimes, I’ll use music to inspire me. It can convey something the characters are feeling. This leads to words and before I know it, I’m off. When I’m revising for instance, because I write lean, a paragraph can turn into a page-and-a-half when I get an idea. These are not just ideas that drop in upon me, but they fuel from the story already written. A character’s way of looking at something may have changed. At times, I’ll find myself distracted from writing by a pet or one of the kids and the easiest way to get back into my story is to just start typing to see where it goes.

Pictures are also a great source to work from. Often, they can transport a writer to the world of their characters, a scene you’ve imagined time and again. I can find these pics everywhere from magazines to Pinterest. I keep a standing log of different pics that could inspire characters, settings, or may suggest a way in which “magic” works for instance. I don’t like to know the details down to the recipe for magic, just enough to make me think it could happen this way. If I start trying to explain how the magic works, then it becomes the whole explaining the force equivalent. It just does. Lol. I know that doesn’t work for some people, but I’d rather NOT know. Faith works on the same principle for me.

Movies or television might suggest a way to make things work in your story as well. There’s a lot of times that I’ve gotten an ‘aha’ moment while watching something. Of course, sometimes it has nothing to do with what the characters are doing onscreen. It might be a phrase they say, or a problem they’ve stepped into. Anything can break the gate. And it is a gate holding you back from where you want the story to go. So, find a way to open it that works for you. You’ll find yourself beating the page in no time at all.

Please call over and say ‘Hi’ at any of the following media:

Blog (WordPress) –  Blog (BlogSpot)

Facebook(personal) – Facebook(Writer Page)  –  Twitter

Goodreads – Pinterest – Google+

29 thoughts on “Beating the Blank Page – Guest Post by, Traci Kenworth…”

  3. Sorry, I’m late, Chris! Been doing all kinds of running today and I have to run out again in a few minutes to get my daughter. But I did manage to find two shiny, lucky pennies yesterday so my luck has been looking up!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. It really is magic, Traci, and undefinable. You have to talk around it in order to explain how it works. I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go, so I can jot down bits of inspiration. I also have them all around the house. Terrific post! ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. That is a great post Traci. I do believe a lot of us have problems facing a blank page..I know I certainly do. One of the things I do when I am stuck with a new chapter is go back and edit the last… although I have to say it does not always help. I am with you 100% on your idea about A-ha moments, they often come from the most unrelated places and then all you can do is wonder why you never saw them before!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you, Paul! So true about A-ha moments, they just pop up when you’re busy doing something else! I’m getting a little better at beating that blank page since I’ve been pushing myself to get out there.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to The Story Reading Ape Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.