Overcoming the Blank Page
So, you’ve done it. You thought up this fantastic idea of the next story you are going to write. It’s full of drama, mystery, and an adventure waiting to be told. You can’t wait to get started, so you grab your paper and pen, or maybe your laptop or phone, and sit down to make your vision a reality. But something is wrong. You don’t know what to write. Instead of having a productive writing session, you are stuck staring at a blank page.
I know because this has happened to me plenty of times. Sometimes my idea is too vague to know what events should take place, or other times, I don’t know where to start all together. While it’d be much more exciting for me to skip the mundane tasks of exposition and world building, these are all components that must go into a story before writing its exciting climax.
If I don’t know what to write, it’s usually a sign to me that I don’t know my story or characters well enough. Here I’m going to help you fill in the blanks by teaching you the art of planning and writing with a purpose. Not all of the suggestions below help you get there, but the right ones for you will help you be on your way to filling up the page.
1. Define Your Theme
Depending on your story, defining your theme can be beneficial in helping you know the direction you want your story to go. Now, it’s not necessary for all stories to have a clear theme for their story from the beginning, as there are a lot of authors who don’t know their theme on the first, second, or even third draft. If it fits your style, it might be better for you to figure out the theme as you write and explore your story.
But defining your theme whenever it sparks in your head can be helpful because it acts as the driving force behind who your characters are and what happens in your story. Your theme inspires what choices your characters make and decides the consequences of their actions. Everything in the story revolves around what idea you are trying to convey.
When you are stuck on where to start or how a scene should pan out, think about your theme. Figure out how to communicate your thematic ideas through action and consequences. The important thing here is to plan out scenes that will contribute to the overall message you are trying to communicate. Learn how to communicate this in a way by showing instead of telling.
2. Plan Your Climax (And Midpoint)
Another portion of your story you can plan to help fill in the blank pages of your story is the climax. The climax of a story is the heightened point in your story that leads to the final conclusion. By planning your climax this early in the writing process, you will have a better understanding of what you are building toward with each scene. Each scene, dialogue, action, etc. must work together to prepare your characters to act out their role in the climax in a believable way.
The same goes for the midpoint, which is defined as the turning point of your novel, usually found in the middle of your book. It’s the point in the story where the goals of your character changes, whether it’s due to a point of clarity or circumstances. By defining your theme, midpoint, and climax, you are able to move onto the next step.
3. Write With Purpose
Each scene must contribute to the purpose of developing the plot and theme until we reach that eventual climax. What relationships are your scenes developing? What information are you revealing? How does your sequence progress the plot? Find out how to incorporate your theme into your plotlines.
Try relating your scenes or conversations to an upcoming topic in your novel.
For Example: When Sally is getting a cup of coffee from the server Joe, have them briefly chat about the suspicious shop owners that will become significant later on in the story. Or have Sally look at a family portrait of the suspicious family that hangs on the shelf in the back. Dialogue or simply observing the surroundings are two great ways to get a bit of exposition or foreshadowing going on during the very beginning when you are still setting down the building blocks of your story.
4. Spend More Time with Your Characters
You don’t know what your characters should say or do because you don’t know them well enough yet. Find the voice of each of your characters and define the traits that make them unique from anyone else. Know each character’s purpose.
It’s also important to explore their dynamics with other characters. Character’s relationships are one of the most interesting parts about any story. How they interact with each other can turn what would otherwise be a boring story into something much more interesting. Check out my article that gives you a checklist of everything your characters need to feel complete in your story. It’s worth spending a lot of time developing the traits of your characters.
Which leads me into the next point.
5. Understand the Arcs of Your Characters
Not just your main character. Outline the arcs of the protagonist, antagonist, central characters and side characters. All of them. This will give you an idea of what characteristics you can briefly touch on as you gradually build your character to the fate you planned for them. Strategically planning character arcs will give you more material to work with as you build the plot. Use those character arcs to foreshadow and plant seeds about the future to come.
6. Learn How to Write Scenes
One of the biggest obstacles that contributed to me staring at a blank page was not knowing how to properly write a scene with tension, conflict, and a character arc. Sure, I’d know where I wanted my character to be by the end of the chapter, but I didn’t know how to get there in an engaging way for the reader to enjoy. If you struggle with this too, I suggest you learn how to write scenes. Know the purpose of each your scenes. Study stories with scenes you enjoy and learn what makes it work. Pair characters together with conflicting beliefs to add tension to your story.
7. Study Popular Story Arcs
Know what story arcs work across all stories and incorporate it into your writing. Basic story structures such as the Hero’s Journey and Romance arcs work for a reason. They are great examples of good pacing and scenes written to accomplish a specific purpose. If your a beginner, a great place to start is by learning the 12 Stages of The Hero’s Journey. Learn the purpose of each scene and incorporate those arcs into your story!
8. Find Inspiration
When you don’t know what to write, read books that relate to the genre you are currently attempting to write. Are you writing about fantasy? Then read The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R Tolkien and other fantasy novels. Writing about mystery? Then dive deep into the Sherlock Holmes novel.
Expand your knowledge on your genre of choice. Study what makes them interesting and throw your own unique style into it. Read my other article to learn how to find inspiration when you are experiencing writer’s block.
8. Be True to Yourself
Be authentic.
There’s no reason to dress up your writing with fanciful words that are simply meant to impress others.
Be authentic in your descriptions, the message you want to get across, your voice—everything.
You may struggle when you are writing you first novel because you are still learning your writing style. Take the time to discover and develop a style that is uniquely yours. If you feel the main issue contributing to your issue of the “blank page syndrome” is a lack of confidence, then check out my article on how to build confidence in creative writing.
There it is!
These are my tips on how to overcome the blank page in your creative writing journey. Remember, some of the suggestions above such as knowing the theme of your story or even the climax can be decided later, depending on your style. With that being said, happy writing!