Staring at a blank page is daunting. Some days more intimidating than others. Sometimes the words come, like water flowing from Niagara Falls.
They come fast and easy. Faster than you can type them into the computer. When it's over. You breathe again. Then you go back over the sea of words you’ve just dispelled. But are they any good?
You spend the next several minutes reading them. Finding errors, both typos, and spelling etc. Once you get past the default editing You can read them for what they are. Is the story any good? After reading it several times, and trying to find a way to go from where you left off. You highlight it all. Hit delete. And you're instantly back where you started from. Staring at the blank screen.
A false start. There are a number of paths to consider at this point. Closing up shop for a while. It's definitely an option. But that’s not going to get you anywhere. So you start typing again. Two sentences in and you realize you onto something. This time, the story is finally coming together. The odd thing is you started the the first story exactly the same way. Using almost the exact same opening line. But something was different. This time the story was ready to be told.
Something was different. Did changing a couple of words reroute your brain to a different path? Did the mere act of just starting over reboot the story that was trying to come you subconscious?
One can never completely tell. We can guess. We can try to figure it out. But in the end it doesn't really matter. All that matter is that you started over.
False Starts are a part of writing, and in many many ways part of life.
We all start projects, and relationships with grand plans to finish in a “Blaze of Glory.”
But the truth of the matter is life's one big False Start after another. If we’re lucky we get more things right on the first try, then we get wrong. When its not working, we need to reboot and see what we can do to start over, or at least go forward .
So weather its on the computer screen, with your next big novel, or in everyday life, we all have false starts.
When we do it’s time to hit “Control, Alt, Delete,” and start over.
They come fast and easy. Faster than you can type them into the computer. When it's over. You breathe again. Then you go back over the sea of words you’ve just dispelled. But are they any good?
You spend the next several minutes reading them. Finding errors, both typos, and spelling etc. Once you get past the default editing You can read them for what they are. Is the story any good? After reading it several times, and trying to find a way to go from where you left off. You highlight it all. Hit delete. And you're instantly back where you started from. Staring at the blank screen.
A false start. There are a number of paths to consider at this point. Closing up shop for a while. It's definitely an option. But that’s not going to get you anywhere. So you start typing again. Two sentences in and you realize you onto something. This time, the story is finally coming together. The odd thing is you started the the first story exactly the same way. Using almost the exact same opening line. But something was different. This time the story was ready to be told.
Something was different. Did changing a couple of words reroute your brain to a different path? Did the mere act of just starting over reboot the story that was trying to come you subconscious?
One can never completely tell. We can guess. We can try to figure it out. But in the end it doesn't really matter. All that matter is that you started over.
False Starts are a part of writing, and in many many ways part of life.
We all start projects, and relationships with grand plans to finish in a “Blaze of Glory.”
But the truth of the matter is life's one big False Start after another. If we’re lucky we get more things right on the first try, then we get wrong. When its not working, we need to reboot and see what we can do to start over, or at least go forward .
So weather its on the computer screen, with your next big novel, or in everyday life, we all have false starts.
When we do it’s time to hit “Control, Alt, Delete,” and start over.
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