Easier said than done, right?
Yep.
I don’t think of it as a blank page. I think of it as a release for my overloaded brain. I mean, come on, don’t you just need to get some of those thoughts out? I sure do.
(Now you understand my long-winded blog posts, don’t ya?)
1. Think first. Clear your mind and focus on the writing task. Who are you writing to? What are you writing? How many points does it have and where do you start?
Well, sure, easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. I can hear you saying to me, “If I knew all that, I wouldn’t be afraid of the blank page!”
Right.
But really, how much time have you spent worrying about the writing task rather than actually considering your audience and purpose? How much time have you spent organizing what you have to say into points? (Hint: go for three points, or five, but pick a number and outline what you’re trying to say)
2. Fill in the outline. Easier to write to an outline than just to whatever comes out first. I use it in every blog post and for every single email I write. Last week I had to reply to a journalist asking me for my thoughts about the Jake Tapper/President Obama on Leno/Twitter fiasco. I just immediately tapped out a series of five bullet points (similar to the blog posts I write on here) and immediately was able to frame my thoughts. I hope the journalist saw that frame as clearly as I did (we’ll see) but it helped me write succinctly and quickly on a complicated topic.
3. Jot notes or expand on the outline. This is your first draft, remember. No one will know if you write self-serving and inane comments in your first draft. Just let it out. The stuff that comes out of my brain astounds me every time. I am an odd bird.
4. Set it aside for awhile. Give your brain time to ruminate on what you wrote. Your subconscious is thinking about it, so give it time to percolate.
5. Read it aloud and tweak as necessary. Once you’ve read it again and tweaked it, I’d say you’ve got a working first draft. Then it’s time again to review your audience, the purpose of the piece, and if each bullet point still belongs in the cohesive whole.
Well, look at that! Your blank page is full of text. Amazing how that happens.
