Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Dreaded Blank Page


It’s been a while since I faced my last blank word document with the intention of beginning a book. I figured this time, after having one manuscript under my belt, the horrible white blankness wouldn’t be as frightening. Well, I wasn’t just wrong, I was WRONG.

Last time I faced this vacant beast, I was starting work on a little side project, something I hadn’t even really planned. Something that initially resembled my favorite book at the time a little too much. Over the next couple years it morphed into its own story with twists and turns even I hadn’t anticipated. But there wasn’t that same fear in the beginning, not the fear I felt when beginning my newest project this past Thursday.

It’s easy to see why. There wasn’t so much expectation riding on that book. The project I’ve just started has been in the works for nearly three years now. And from the first sticky note to my book’s forty page reference bible, it’s been an uphill battle. Or battles. Now, I’ve won the majority of them, fixing as many of the kinks in the plot as I can and figuring out the back-stories and motivations for my characters, putting off the first words of my novel till last Thursday.

But facing the blank word document that I’d already saved as “book”…that wasn’t an uphill battle. That was a left-handed sword fight up a cliff faceKeep in mind that I’m right-handed. Also keep in mind that my opponent is the metaphorical equivalent of Inigo Montoya.

So what did I do? I created a header and wasted a few minutes deciding which font to put “Chapter One” in, as if the formatting of my manuscript was at all in my hands if it ever did get picked up for publishing. ßYou see that! That’s why starting this manuscript was so terrifying.

My mind was already worried about the querying process! Oh how I’m getting ahead of myself! But then again, how can I not think about it? I’ve spent years working towards the first book of this series of a lifetime, pouring over fictional details of a world and a story that I can only hope will touch as many lives as possible. So every wannabe author’s dream, right?

Eventually, I just had to put some words down, and then begin the constant game of second-guessing my phrasing. And now I’m happy to say, I’ve got something great underway! (Bet you’ve never heard a writer claim THAT before!) Well, think what you want. No one will believe in it if I don’t believe in it first.

How do you work up the courage to overcome the dreaded blank page?

Photo taken from leonpaternoster.com

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