Author Confessions: The Blank Page
One of the biggest challenges for an author is exactly what I faced when I sat down at my laptop to write this post. The Blank Page.
All that white can be intimidating, or all that black if you write in dark mode (black background and white letters which can be kinder to the eyes). That’s why even in real life, a blank wall in a house is calling for decoration. When we moved into our tiny apartment while building a house, I determined that I would only put one hole in the wall, and that was for the clock we are conditioned to look to to check the time. I’ve kept to to that. But the white walls bother me and seem so–sterile.
It’s probably why we can’t seem to keep any surface from also having things one it, whether it is a decoration on the dining room table, or all the stuff we drop on it when we get home.
There is something in the human condition that rebells against that stark emptiness. Probably because God created us for beauty and color. Texture and depth. But we also need space and emptiness.
The blank page is too much emptiness, just as a lot of walls with no color, design, or decoration. Too much, however, becomes clutter. My documents in my word processor are automatically set for a one inch margin. When I write I usually have double spaced as well, especially when writing a story. Filling a blank space is good but too much is difficult for the brain to process.
The beauty of writing in this day and age is editing, deleting, can be done with minimal effort. I was working on edits the other day and slashed over 3,000 words from a novella. For comparison this post has 775 words. That’s a lot of words! The stuff I deleted will make the story better according to my editors and I agree with them. I printed it out without the removed words so I can read it again and make sure I didn’t make any other mistakes. No rewriting by hand. Technology can be such a blessing.
When writers start writing, however, it can be a daunting thing to look at the blank page. Sure we can put in the capter number, a header and insert page numbers, but those things do not make a story come to life. Neither do the margins, although lack of them can be bothersome for a reader.
There is such a thing as free-form writing where the author writes whatever comes to mind. Any thought. Journalling can be like this where the blank page becomes filled with all the random thoughts that occupy it. Sometimes getting those things out clears the clutter for the good stuff that make up a text: sentences and paragraphs a reader might want to read.
I journal on a daily basis and sometimes it’s brief and short. I have an audio diary that I will often speak into on my phone where I can just ramble (I talk like I’m talking to God) about whatever is on my heart. It goes faster as not every thought that crosses my mind is something my husband or friends might want to listen to. But if it is on my heart then I figure God doesn’t mind hearing it.
The blank page can be hard for authors but the reality is this: You can’t edit a blank page. With modern technology writings can be saved in other documents to be used for a later time, or forgotten which is more likely to happen to me. We can easily delete. Even writing a blog I have started some that sat in draft mode for a while before I finally decided they weren’t worth sharing with the world wide web, or whomever visits my blog.
Do you want to write? Then write. Don’t worry about the rules, you can learn those later. No matter what your age, we are in a world where re-writes are so much easier. I remember grade school and high school–before computers–and all the paper crumpled up on the floor. Don’t let the blank page intimidate you into pouring out your thoughts and ideas on paper. Even if no one else sees it, writing is beneficial. My journaling is with pen and paper. The audio journal is digital. Thankfully, word processing has made writing books easier than ever.
So whether you’re writing a letter to a friend, a thank you note, a prayer, or the next best-selling novel, write. Don’t let the blank page win.
Getting rid of things, and thoughts, often leaves a vacuum which can easily be filled with something else. I can clean off our kitchen table but it soon becomes a dumping ground. We are unable to NOT think of something. Just thinking about not thinking of something forces you to think about it.
How about people or relationships? I firmly believe that people are important and we need to make time to develop and foster good relationships, but not all of them are beneficial. Where do you draw the line and stop trying to connect with people that aren’t reciprocating? Or perhaps are using you? That can be difficult to do and I’m not saying be mean and cut people out of your life all together unless they are toxic, then no-contact is great. What I am saying is: be wise about who you spend your time with. Focus on those relationships where you can. When that door closes on their side, walk away knowing God has someone else to connect with that He will reveal in His due time. The waiting can be hard.