• Featured Universities
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Grants for Writers
  • Home
  • About
  • Writing Programs
  • Blog

Banish the Blank Page

By MFA Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Even the most prolific writers have bouts of dealing with a blank page. So how do you transport yourself from a time when it doesn’t seem like there’s an idea alive in your brain to the moments when your fingers can’t fly across the keyboard fast enough?

In the words of Nike…just do it.

My best advice comes from the great writing teacher and author Anne Lamott who has devoted chapters to the problem of writer’s block. My favorite chapter from her book, “Bird by Bird,” is called Shitty First Drafts and that’s just what you have to embrace.

When writer’s block strikes, don’t be afraid of a shitty first draft. Just get an idea out on the page, don’t worry about how it reads because once you start it’s like a cold car engine — you’ll warm up and then rev up. You’ll unleash your creativity and then the fun part comes…when you’ve got a completed, first draft and you can edit.

Writing takes mental energy. The blank page and those first words can leave you feeling vulnerable, but persevere by putting anything down. It’s not only the best way to start your project, but to finish it as well.

Related Posts

  • Random House Launches TV DivisionRandom House Launches TV Division
  • Get Out of the Writing RutGet Out of the Writing Rut
  • Mark Bly Joins Fordham/Primary StagesMark Bly Joins Fordham/Primary Stages
  • 7 Figure Erotica Deal7 Figure Erotica Deal
  • University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast ReviewUniversity of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Review
  • What Do You Want More of in 2015?What Do You Want More of in 2015?
Facebooktwitterpinterestyoutube
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Related posts:

  1. Why Smart People Get Stuck
  2. What are you writing right now?
  3. Set Your 2014 Writing Goals
  4. The Hollywood Trifecta

Leave a Comment Cancel

Latest Podcasts

How to Create Compelling Characters

How to create compelling characters…brought to you by New York University, ranked as one of the top MFA programs in the United States.

How to Work the Film Festival

Promoting Your Work at Film Festivals Writer/filmmaker Jason R. Davis founded the Chicago Horror Film Festival and the Indy Horror Film Festival. Here he gives advice for writers on how to best utilize film festivals to market their project.

Latest Videos

Chatham University

Chatham University’s Words without Walls is a ground-breaking program within their MFA degree focusing on nature, travel writing and social outreach. It is the premier graduate program for nurturing students interested in place-based writing and innovative community programs.  

Abilene Christian University

Abilene Christian University (Texas) ACU’s M.A. in English is a 36-hour master’s program with tracks in literature, composition and rhetoric, and writing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue17A_9_eAE&list=PL1gDOFpWJTaMCKCHy6Mhj2JCG-yTc6-eQ

MFA Showcase

Sponsorship

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© Copyright 2016 Evatopia, Inc.
All Rights Reserved