So you want to write a novel – part ten

Facing the Blank Page

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to write in this post.  Starting a novel has never been a problem for me, blank pages don’t throw me off.  For me the blank page means endless possibilities.  The first novel I wrote started off well and every novel I’ve written since then hasn’t given me problems starting.  I run into trouble in the middle, when the writing starts to feel less like fun and more like work.   I realize that for some writers writing the first page, the first paragraph, the first paragraph or even the first word is daunting.   It’s a hurdle that has to be over come in order to get the damn book written.  Facing the blank page at the start of the book is similar to facing a blank page in the middle, so I’m going to outline a few strategies that help me get back on task and get the words out.

See your scene as a movie

I’m a very visual person, and before I wrote I used to paint.  I’m used to seeing the world as a visual space.  I can’t follow instructions unless there are pictures.  Here is an exercise you can do to help get the writing started.  You should already know what you want to write.  If you’ve done any outlining that I explained in the previous posts, then you should already know what your first scene is about.  This is half the battle as far as novel-writing goes, knowing what you want to write.  Re-read your scene plan, close your eyes and try to visualize what happens in the scene.  Pretend it’s a movie unfolding in your head until you can “see” what’s happening.    When you’re ready, put your hands on the keyboard, open your eyes and start writing exactly what you see unfolding in your head.

Turn off your internal editor

Sometimes the problem is wanting to find exactly the right word to put down on the page.  If you are writing a first draft, this will stop you dead in your tracks.  The first draft is meant to get the meat of the story out of your head and onto the page.  Your internal editor is the enemy of the first draft.  It’s that critical voice in your head that tells you that everything you are writing sucks.  You need to send her (or him) off on vacation until you are done your book.  Revisions work well with your internal editor on board, but you will not get to the revision stage of your novel is you don’t get rid of her now.

Write anything

If you find it impossible to write the first scene in your book, write a different scene and go back to the first scene later.  There is nothing to say that you have to write your book in the order it’s going to be read. 

I hope what I’ve shared with you has helped.  Keep in mind is everything can be re-written, but you cannot rewrite nothing.  So get your words down and get the book out of your head and onto the page.

See you soon.

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