The Blank Page

By Keith Fisher

When I sat down to write this blog two things struck me. I had no clear idea where I was going with it, and I noticed the vastness of the blank, white page. Have you ever noticed how daunting an empty page can be? I know I’m not the first to notice this but it seems a page of clean white paper can influence a writer in positive and negative ways.

It is exciting when you, as a writer, have an idea percolating and you can’t write it fast enough. A blank piece of paper, any blank piece of paper will serve as a coveted gift. Not unlike the gift of a drop of water to a thirsty man who is languishing in the desert.

On the other hand, if a writer has a deadline and nothing comes to mind to write, the blank page can be like an endless void. It sucks a writer into the dark recesses of the snow-white abyss, never to see color, or the reassuring comfort of black words filling the white page.

In an effort to eliminate the blank white page, I went into options on the tools menu in Word and turned the page blue with white writing. It reminded me of the old Word Perfect program I used to use, but it did nothing to help me get new ideas. In fact, I think it was worse. Would you rather be stuck in an abyss of white or be condemned to spend eternity in blue?

I guess it’s up to you, but I prefer to look out the window and see the multi colors of new growth associated with Spring and a beautiful day. The buds are on the trees and the crocuses are breaking free from their long winter slumber. It will be a beautiful Spring, followed by a fantastic Summer, but first, I’ve got to write an article for the blog and make it look like it flowed from my fingertips with very little effort on my part.

Ah, such is the magic in the craft of writing. It is the only job I know where a piece of blank paper can cause such an array of emotions. It is the lifeblood of an imagination that cannot be controlled. Go outside and enjoy spring, see how many worlds you can create by analyzing the growth of a blade of grass. You will be better for the experience.

Good luck with your writing, see you next week.