I hate staring at a blank screen.
I hate staring at all computer screens, blank or busy. The blank screen is far too bright. It leads me down the wide, destructive road of twisty internet searches in search of…nothing, and it keeps me up past my normal bedtime.
For my writer-mind, blank computer screens are the worst. Blank computer screens are the antithesis of natural writing. They are abysmal, glaring eyesores which constantly remind me of my lack of creativity, my lack of ability, and my lack of all the other “—ivity” words which I can’t recall at the moment because this computer has me up past my normal bedtime.
What is my normal bedtime? I don’t even know. This crazy computer screen has scrambled my brain.
To battle these technological stupors, I often turn to my small notebook.
The pages in my small notebook are a gentle shade of tan, easy on the eyes and gentle on the mind. Ideas abound in my small notebook. Even the physical act of writing, pen to paper, quiets my scatty tendencies and centers me. Yet at times I still get stumped, and when I do, I engage in this series of writing prompts:
My Battle Plan Against Mister Blank Screen
- “I want to write a (story, article, scene) about….” (write about this for 5 minutes)
- “The topic that interests me the most is…” (write for 5 more minutes)
- “Ten points that I could cover in this (story, article, scene) are…” (write for 10 minutes)
- Take the most interesting point from number 3 and write on it for five minutes. Repeat for the second and third most interesting points for five minutes each.
- In this (scene, article) the central dramatic conflict/argument is…. (write for 5 minutes)
- In this (scene, article) the central dramatic conflict/argument is resolved when…. (write for 5 minutes)
After this, I usually have a something nice and messy and meaty written in my small notebook. Something which I can now type all over that annoying, blank computer screen.
So there you go Mister Blank Screen. This writer has beaten you once again.
Congratulations to MARIA the winner of our December Gratitude giveaway. MARIA won a pack of three small journals, a fancy pen, and a $5 Starbucks gift card. Please send me your mailing address and email at write(at)preslaysa(dot)com to claim your prize.
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