The joy of the blank page

[samhasstories]

I just finished up a story that posted this morning. That's not a hugely common thing for me - only my twelfth story overall, which if you look at my 'joined' date will show you what a snail I am compared to many of you machines here. I sit on stories awhile, I write them and then realize I want to take them in a different direction and start over, I get bored and move on to something else until the work in question recaptures my imagination. I also waste a lot of time writing non-erotic fiction: I'm working on a novel, I have a number of short stories in progress at any given time, plus several that need revisions.

All that to say, usually when it's time to do some writing, there's something waiting for me that I feel I should be picking up and continuing. It's relatively rare for me to sit down to write, having just finished what I'd been working on, not choosing to pick up any of the number of loose threads I've left lying around, and open up a new, blank, fresh document.

And I LOVE that. I often see and hear writers talking about how intimidating a blank page is, how it immediately conjures up writer's block. I can't relate to that. I find the blank page exciting. It means I can do whatever I want. There are no rules. There's no continuity to consider, there are no reader expectations to fulfill or subvert. I can dig into my weird old brain and grab whatever jumps out, and just play with it.

Is anyone else with me on that? For those of you who are so enviably prolific, maybe there's no such novelty there - if you can crank out a story in a day or two then you're almost always looking at that beautiful blank page. But does anyone find the blank page oppressive, as seems to be a common complaint? Or do folks find it as freeing/exciting as I do?

 

[djrip]

Thing is it never stays blank for long. That's why I have 30 unfinished starts.

 

[HeyAll]

One thing I've started doing for the last year or so, is posting a picture at the top of the page; an erotic picture. Something that corresponds with the story. And below that other pictures as well from the same theme. So if it's an office themed story, it'll be erotic office pictures.

Something that gets me going and gives inspiration to that story. It's like letting the picture tell the story.

So when I open Google Docs, instead of a wall of black/white text, it's a wall of pictures. Almost like a book cover. I know what the Doc is just by the picture.

 

[samhasstories]

Thing is it never stays blank for long. That's why I have 30 unfinished starts.

Yeah, it's a fleeting pleasure, but a pleasure all the same.

 

[StillStunned]

compared to many of you machines here

Careful now, you don't want to be making that kind of accusation here...

 

[intim8]

The blank page represents possibilities, a literal infinitude of them. Every word you type prunes that tree, narrows the field of possibilities. The imagination is constrained.

Hopefully, the compensation for that constraint is a rich world you (and readers) can enjoy being immersed in, and compelling characters that you can enjoy exploring. The imagination turns inward and finds an infinitude of the small and meaningful.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

That's why I have 30 unfinished starts

Yep! In my case it’s a mix of reasonably complete plot outlines, or a prologue / intro.

Then there’s that whole full-time employment time suck; what a nuisance!

 

[gunhilltrain]

I just finished up a story that posted this morning. That's not a hugely common thing for me - only my twelfth story overall, which if you look at my 'joined' date will show you what a snail I am compared to many of you machines here. I sit on stories awhile, I write them and then realize I want to take them in a different direction and start over, I get bored and move on to something else until the work in question recaptures my imagination. I also waste a lot of time writing non-erotic fiction: I'm working on a novel, I have a number of short stories in progress at any given time, plus several that need revisions.

All that to say, usually when it's time to do some writing, there's something waiting for me that I feel I should be picking up and continuing. It's relatively rare for me to sit down to write, having just finished what I'd been working on, not choosing to pick up any of the number of loose threads I've left lying around, and open up a new, blank, fresh document.

And I LOVE that. I often see and hear writers talking about how intimidating a blank page is, how it immediately conjures up writer's block. I can't relate to that. I find the blank page exciting. It means I can do whatever I want. There are no rules. There's no continuity to consider, there are no reader expectations to fulfill or subvert. I can dig into my weird old brain and grab whatever jumps out, and just play with it.

Is anyone else with me on that? For those of you who are so enviably prolific, maybe there's no such novelty there - if you can crank out a story in a day or two then you're almost always looking at that beautiful blank page. But does anyone find the blank page oppressive, as seems to be a common complaint? Or do folks find it as freeing/exciting as I do?

I can't find the scene in Barton Fink where he has writer's block, but I have the one where he seems to come out of it.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Well, there is the scene between those where he reports back to the studio about his block.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I haven't experienced writers block yet. I doubt I will. I have pages of story ideas. So a blank page excites me like gazing down the rabbit hole. "I wonder where this goes?!"