I’m on deadline, I can’t seem to get much written down, and a mostly blank page is staring back at me. I’m feeling judged by my own computer. I know I wrote a brilliant first paragraph in my head while I was walking the dog, but now I’m in front of my computer and not much is happening except a growing awareness of just how close my deadline is.
I’m a strong proponent of getting off the computer and using pen and paper to get the words flowing, but sometimes that just produces a blank sheet of paper in place of an empty Word doc. When I find myself getting caught up in the lack of words on the page, I take the pressure off by changing the font color to white. Unable to see what I’m writing, I can focus on getting my thoughts on paper and worry about editing them later. Trying to write and edit at the same time is a recipe for frustration and a stalled project, so try writing in white to keep your inner editor (or, for some people, your inner perfectionist) from getting involved too soon.
Red pens, unite! 