A Blank Piece of Paper…

A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.

-Sidney Sheldon

How do you beat your creative/writer’s block?

(Please leave a comment below.)

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Tags: Inspiration, Sidney Sheldon

Category: Inspiration.

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10 Comments on “A Blank Piece of Paper…”

1. Krissy says:

   I get away from my desk and do something mundane like folding washing or doing the dishes. Just getting away from the blank page does wonders

   [Reply to This Comment]

   
   January 19th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

2. Sasha says:

   This reminds me of how much I used to love buying new notebooks at the beginning of a school year. A blank page holds so much potential, but it’s also incredibly intimidating (at least for me).

   The best thing to do to beat a creative block is to just step away from it. I’m a very visual person, so when I need inspiration, I look at photos in magazines or blogs. A great color combination or an interesting pattern can get me going again. I just can’t force it.

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   January 19th, 2009 at 9:57 pm

3. malackey says:

   I pull out old paintings/poems/essays/whatever, and hope they’ll nudge me in the right direction. In the event that doesn’t work, getting away from the project and working on something else helps to clear my head.

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   January 19th, 2009 at 9:57 pm

4. Marri says:

   Loud music (usually metal) to induce a zen of adrenaline-fueled thoughtlessness, or some rounds of Rock Band/Guitar Hero for the same reasons.

   [Reply to This Comment]

   
   January 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm

5. Michelle says:

   I take my dog to the dog park and watch our 4-legged “kids” play while my mind wanders and takes in the nature around me.

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   January 20th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

6. Michael says:

   Creative block, to me, usually means I’m either too distracted or burnt out. The only way to fix this is to do something less challenging. I have to *miss* creative work in order to see my best creative work. I usually just find something to turn my brain off too for a few hours.

   Usually once I’ve reset my brain, I have to re-energize it, and that means sifting through beautiful things. I have a few photo books, a very creative girlfriend (who paints), and I live in a very artsy area. I basically have to dive into other forms of art to get my brain moving again. I do my best thinking when I don’t mean to.

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   January 20th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

7. mggale says:

   I enjoy your posts, particularly the fencing content, so I feel I a vested interest here - certainly hope you continue to muse happily. I find big ideas incite me to pick up the pen (which is certainly not mightier than my sword). Most of the big ideas I have come across recently have been hiding in my Masters course material. Hey, it’s a starting point.

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   January 21st, 2009 at 12:31 am

8. Colin says:

   Walking away for a while is for people who don’t want to make a real go at it. I’m sorry but it’s true.

   Like all things that you want to achieve at, it takes work. And sometimes that work is complete and utter crap but it’s work that’s been done. You can revise it, change it, or examine it for its flaws and attempt not to do them again the next time but something is done. The page is no longer blank. You can’t achieve anything as long as the page remains blank.

   In writing, Elmore Leonard once said that anyone who wants to be considered a professional should write two pages a day.

   He was not saying that the two pages would be any good but that forcing yourself to write gets writing done. I’ve been trying this and I’ve found that the first two pages are the hardest to get through. But after that, my mind is in a gear for writing and the rest begins to flow. And if it doesn’t, I still have those two pages that can be revised into something better later.

   I think most people who have a hard time with the blank page are people who feel that what’s on it must be perfect, publishable, etc, from minute one. Well… that just ain’t the way it works.

   If all else fails, if you’re out of ideas, use a writing exercise to get started. Start writing a conversation you had that day but change the genders, time, place, and circumstances. Make it fit. Write two pages. By the end, you might be ready to work on what you really want to work on.

   But don’t postpone. Don’t walk away. Nothing will ever get done.

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   January 21st, 2009 at 2:08 pm

9. kevin ferry says:

   Yes the dreaded blank piece of paper. The room now empty as the suits have briefed and discussed what the client needs. It’s just you and your marker pad staring back at you. Sitting opposite with the same blank expression is your partner and no matter how good the brief or the amount of work gone into preparing it, I still get that gut wrenching feeling every time, ‘Is this the one where I screw up and I don’t get that idea’? you can read the more here:

   http://kevincferry.blogspot.com/2009/08/ideas.html

   Another source of help: http://www.slideshare.net/KevinFerry

   [Reply to This Comment]

   
   August 4th, 2009 at 4:24 am

10. man says:

    thisis really wrerd!

    [Reply to This Comment]

    
    May 12th, 2010 at 4:32 pm

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