It's taunting me. With its white-as-snow perfect color. It's laughing at me.
"Ha ha!" It's saying. "Nothing is smudging my perfect color! There are no pencil marks, no letters, nothing that prevents the white from showing!"
I'm grinding my teeth at it, but that only makes the blank page laugh louder. I crumple it up and stuff it in the trash can. It's not as satisfying as I thought it would be.
My mind is empty. Just like the blank page. Words aren't coming as easily as they should be. I have ideas, but I can't find a way to use them. How infuriating.
I get distracted and walk away. When I come back, the page is still blank. Of course it is. It would be too easy, too unrealistic to expect the words to blossom without any water to make them grow. I haven't even planted the seeds yet. Why should I expect tomatoes when all I have is dirt?
Now I'm thinking about gardens, which is making me hungry.
Focus, focus, focus.
"You can't write. I'm a blank page. I'm supposed to just sit here and look pretty."
"Shut up!"
"I can't shut up. I'm a blank page. I'm supposed to taunt you."
"I said shut up!"
"La, la, la. I'm a blank page. You can't write on me, you can't write on me, you can't--"
"ROAR!"
I rip the page, but the taunts are still ringing in my ears.
Focusfocusfocus.
Who am I kidding?
I'm having one of those days. Inspiration, anyone? ;)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Blank Page
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story,
The Magic Violinist
I am 21-year-old author, actress, daydreamer, voracious reader, introvert, klutz, fangirl, and overuser of tape. I love the impossible (which might explain my obsessions with YA novels) but I dip into the real world . . . occasionally. I’m a big fan of dogs, Broadway musicals, and bittersweet endings. When I'm not hunched over a laptop writing a new story, you can find me onstage in whatever theatrical production I've allowed to take over my life. I am a contributor to the “Fauxpocalypse” anthology and the author of “Instructions for Flight” and “Ghost Light,” both collections of poetry. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @KateIFoley.
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11 comments:
Ha. Now I have a short story. ;) I didn't even realize that was what I was doing until it was written. Funny how things work out sometimes.
Hilarious! Yes, you do! Way to go!
Thanks! :D
When I can't think of anything decent to write, I just write nonsense. I had an essay for school the other day and couldn't think of how to begin it so I just wrote some junk that wasn't a good opening, but that got me started. Once I got started I had a better sense of what I wanted to say in the beginning so I went back and revised it...
Very creative. Having a blank paper talk to you. I thought it was funny too.
I have so much nonsense saved in my Word documents . . . I'll probably find something valuable in it at some point, but right now it's just sitting there. XD
Thanks! :D
This TOTALLY describes how I feel on some days. You really captured the infuriating downward spiral that is writer's block. :)
I love this post. :) I think you may have broken writers block just with that! It was brilliant!
When I feel blocked I usually just write complete rubbish or I don't write. Scandalous I know, a writer gives in to the block! But it seems to help me...or feed my procrastination. ;P
Infuriating is right! ;P
Thanks, guys! :D
If only I had blank pages that talked to me. Mine are deaf-mutes, or at least that's what they want me to think. They do occasionally mime, but I'm not that good at charades.
Ha! Yeah, in some ways it's even more annoying when they don't talk. ;P
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