I am completely suffering from ‘page fright’. Every time I sit down to write, I become frozen and unable to move my hand. Then I pick up a book about writing, which in turn leads me to think that I am procrastinating, and using these ‘writing’ books as a crutch and an excuse not to write. Reading about writing is NOT the same thing as actually writing. I thought there was something wrong with me. That maybe I’m not a writer and it’s just something I shouldn’t be pursuing or wasting my time.
My first prompt…I was unable to think of anything. Nothing came to me. Nada. Zip. Zero.
However, I have also come to realize, through these books, that I am not the only one that is dealing with this. It’s not me. It’s every writer, or want-to-be writer. It’s something that every person who writes struggles with. Even those who have already been successful at finishing a project and getting recognition deal with ‘page fright’ at one stage or another. It’s just a matter of getting to know your boundaries, what kinds of things that are restricting your muse, and finding out more about yourself and your writing style. It’s so important to get to know yourself as a writer, and the only way to do that is to write. It’s disgusting. No wonder some writers are a little nutty because I’m starting be (not that I wasn’t a little before :) ).
Now that I have come to terms with the idea that it’s not just me, and that it’s everyone who faces the blank page, it’s time to put it behind me and focus on meeting some of the goals I have set for myself.
GO ME!
You’re suffering from “paralysis by analysis.” A few suggestions:
Have a clear understanding of what you’re going to write about, and how you’re going to approach it, before you begin. And know who your audience is. Sure, there’s “writer’s block.” But that wouldn’t explain your statement: “I was unable to think of anything. Nothing came to me. Nada. Zip. Zero.” The way NOT to write is to sit down at a keyboard, blank, and expect something to some to you.
I’ll admit that in school I was never very good at outlining assignments. In fact, I’d do the research, write the report or whatever, and then construct the outline based on what I’d written. So you don’t have to go into it with a detailed outline. But you do have to have some end-point in mind.
Next: When I was growing up, my dad had some good advice. He’d say: “Get it down on paper. Then edit it.” Lots of people try for perfection. That doesn’t happen, even with the best authors. Write. Then edit.
Next: Don’t worry about your “writing style.” I probably have a dozen different styles. I write newsletters. I write magazine articles. I’ve written books. I’ve written for audiences of janitors and truck drivers. I’ve written for business CEOs and for health care professionals. Each requires a somewhat different style. And that’s OK. You’ll be unnecessarily restricting yourself if you think you must have (or need) only one style.
There’s an entire industry out there overcomplicating the art (and science) of writing. Look: It’s this simple. You decide (or receive an assignment) what you’re going to write about. You research the topic. You envision the reader. Then you write, addressing the reader’s interests and concerns. Finally, you edit. It’s really that simple.
Comment by wordsmth — May 21, 2009 @ 5:47 pm |
Thank you so much for the advice! It’s greatly appreciated! That’s definitely something I need to work on. Trying to come up with a beginning, a middle, and an end is one of the hardest aspects of writing I have trouble with.
I am certainly going to take your advice seriously and make an outline as to what I want to happen. I took a creative writing course and at the beginning of class the professor would spout out these prompts and give us 10 minutes to write in silence. I always had trouble doing this. Could never come up with anything, and if I did it was nothing of spectacular significance. Nothing I was ever proud of, or felt embarrassed to be asked to read it outloud.
Maybe I DO need to spend a lot more time thinking about what I want to do and create a map of my ideas. It’s definitely something I’m going to try. Why I never have thought to do of this before, I have no idea!
I have been going about this the wrong way!
Thank you!
-Erin
Comment by unwrittendreams — May 23, 2009 @ 1:23 am |