"GETTING OVER THE BLANK PAGE AND MASTERING YOUR 1ST DRAFT"

With Mac Boyle

I WISH I COULD GET SOME WRITING DONE, BUT I’VE

HAVE YOU EVER HAD THIS COMPLAINT?

GOT ONE HELL OF A CASE OF WRITER’S BLOCK.

WRITER’S BLOCK IS A MYTH.

RULE NUMBER ONE:

IT IS AN EXCUSE USED TO KEEP YOU FROM SUCCESS.

THE TRUTH ABOUT WRITER’S BLOCK

“WRITER’S BLOCK” MAKES ME THINK OF A LARGE BOULDER BLOCKING YOUR EXIT FROM A CAGE. IT’S IMMOVABLE.

I PREFER TO THINK OF WRITER’S BLOCK AS MERE ANXIETY. ANXIETY AT FACING ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING THINGS IN THE WORLD – THE BLANK PAGE – BUT ANXIETY NONETHELESS.

I HAVE A FEW MORE RULES THAT WILL HELP YOU COMBAT THAT ANXIETY, AND PUT YOU BACK ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESSFUL WRITING.

THE REST OF THE RULES

2. Be sure you are writing for the right reasons.

3. Set manageable goals.4. Whatever you do, get to the

next page!

THE REST OF THE RULES: PART 2: REVENGE OF A LONGER LIST: THE MOVIE: THE GAME

5. Use the right tool for the right job!

6. Learn when to let go.7. Don’t listen to anyone.

I’LL WRITE MY GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL ONE DAY

COMPLAINT NUMBER TWO

THEN I’LL BE RICH AND FAMOUS

BE SURE YOU ARE WRITING

RULE NUMBER TWO:

FOR THE RIGHT REASONS!

BE SURE YOU ARE WRITING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Fame and Fortune are great! At least, I think they would be. I’ll let you

know. Neither are coming right away, if ever. With that being said, there are plenty of

great reasons to write, especially at the beginning.

GOOD REASON TO WRITE, NUMBER 1

Writing exercises your brain. The National Institute on Aging, a subset of the

National Institute of Health says: “A... recent study showed that people with less

education who engaged in reading, doing crossword puzzles, and writing letters performed as well on memory tests as their better educated peers.”

GOOD REASON TO WRITE, NUMBER 2

Writing may just save your mind. The NIA continues: “...the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was 47

percent lower, on average, for those who (wrote and engaged in other mentally stimulating activities) most often than for those who did them least frequently.”

Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/

publication/preventing-alzheimers-disease/search-alzheimers-prevention-strategies

GOOD REASON TO WRITE, NUMBER 3

Writing is Meditative!

Mac's Blood Pressure125 over 85

Mac's Blood Pressure after he's been writing for

15 minutes117 over 76

GOOD REASON TO WRITE, NUMBER 4

YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE! I need to write. I mean, I NEED to write. If you are like me, and have an addictive

personality, eventually a day without writing will leave you:

Cranky Irritable

And a real joy to be around.

A WHOLE BOOK? I COULD NEVER WRITE A WHOLE BOOK.

COMPLAINT NUMBER THREE

I DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF FOCUS.

SET GOALSRULE NUMBER TWO:

MANAGEABLE

SET MANAGEABLE GOALS

Writing a 300-page, 60,000 word document is a Herculean task. It's daunting. And when things become daunting, they tend to become impossible.

But writing 2-3 pages a day (or 400-600 words, depending on your formatting) for 4 months? Anyone can do that.

For those more adventurous among you, there is NANOWRIMO:

SET MANAGEABLE GOALS

What is NANOWRIMO? Stands for National Novel Writing Month. In November,

writers around the world commit to finishing 50,000 words by the end of the month.

Honestly, I’ve never been brave enough awake enough to give it a try, but I may make a go of it in 2015.

Check NANOWRIMO out at http://www.nanowrimo.org Are you brave enough to devote every waking moment

this November to your writing?

I CAN WRITE FOR A FEW PAGES, BUT THEN MY MIND BLANKS...

COMPLAINT NUMBER FOUR

I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO START OVER WITH SOMETHING NEW.

WHATEVER YOU DO:RULE NUMBER FOUR:

GET TO THE NEXT PAGE!

WHATEVER YOU DO, GET TO THE NEXT PAGE

Although writer's block is a myth, there will come times when the... word type... idea things... don't flow good.

What to do, what to do? WHAT TO DO? WRITE! Write like there's no tomorrow. Write as if a

rabid monster that feeds on unrealized potential is clawing at the door.

Just write.

WHATEVER YOU DO, GET TO THAT NEXT PAGE, PART DEUX

This can be easier said than done. I've come up with a way to keep going when

the ideas dry up, though... When no words will come, simply admonish

yourself for failing to come up with ideas, but PUT IT ON PAPER!

THE NEXT PAGE III: THE SEARCH FOR MATERIAL

If you keep the words -- any words -- coming, you'll be back on track in no time.

WHATEVER YOU DO, GET TO THE NEXT PAGE 4: WE'LL REBOOT SOON AND DROP THE NUMBERS, I

PROMISE I wouldn't recommend doing this all the time,

or you'll make the same mistake as the writer in our next clip.

But how do you keep moving forward to that next page when all you want to do is edit as you go?

I GET A FEW WORDS DOWN, BUT I KNOW THEY AREN’T ANY GOOD. I KEEP RE-WRITING AND RE-WRITING

COMPLAINT NUMBER FIVE

I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO START OVER WITH SOMETHING NEW.

USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB...

RULE NUMBER FIVE:

COMPUTERS AREN’T ALWAYS YOUR FRIEND.

“How many times do I have to tell you? Use the right tool for the right job!” ~ Montgomery Scott

THE RIGHT TOOL

Computers are great for: Research Editing Wasting Time

They are TERRIBLE for: WRITING FIRST DRAFTS!

THE RIGHT TOOL TOO I'll be the first to admit I am a bit superstitious. For

no particular reason I will: Write the first 50 pages of a first draft and the last 50 pages of

a first draft on a typewriter. I may also be the last person on Earth to learn how to type on a

manual typewriter. What's a typewriter? Kids, ask your parents.

The rest of my drafts are handwritten in Pilot Varsity Fountain pens. Why?

Fountain pens make me feel like a fancy gentleman.

THE RIGHT TOOL AS WELL

There may be a method to my madness: Writing longhand, or working with another

medium that makes editing harder, forces you to live with whatever work you are producing.

Give it a try! I guarantee you will be more productive.

Until draft 2 through ∞, that is...

MAC, I GET ALL OF THIS. I CAN WRITE FIRST DRAFTS FOREVER...

COMPLAINT NUMBER SIX

I CAN’T SEEM TO MOVE ON FROM A FIRST DRAFT!

LEARN WHEN TORULE NUMBER SIX:

LET GO

LEARN WHEN TO LET GO

Francis Ford Coppola once said that none of his films were as good as they seemed when he filmed them.

Nor were they as bad as they appeared when he first cobbled them together in the editing room.

This is true for your writing as well.

INSERT YOUR OWN "FROZEN" JOKE HERE

CONGRATULATIONS! You've finished your first draft.

Bad news: It's terrible. Good news: You‘re not alone.

This is a sample from the foul pages in "Hand D" from Sir Thomas More

“Hand D” is thought to be that of William Shakespeare

It is the only generally accepted sample of the Bard’s rough work.

What do you see?

Even Shakespeare needed to cross out entire sections of his initial writing.

If he did, you’ll inevitably have to cross out some of your work too.

I MAY GET A FEW WORDS DOWN...

COMPLAINT NUMBER SEVEN:

BUT THEN I GET DISCOURAGED AND STOP.

DON’T LISTEN TO ANYONERULE NUMBER SEVEN:

INCLUDING ME

DON’T LISTEN TO ANYONERULE NUMBER SEVEN:

INCLUDING ME

ESPECIALLY ME

DON'T LISTEN TO ANYONE, INCLUDING ESPECIALLY ME

These are rules that work for me. If something else works for you, DO

THAT. Above all else, you are in charge of

the direction of your writing! But, can you even trust yourself to do

what must be done?

Example: BEHOLD an ancient writing implement!

RULES FOR THE EXAMPLE

I'll need a volunteer from the audience.

You will play the role of the writer. The PowerPoint will play the roll of

INSPIRATION. You will TYPE what the PowerPoint tells you to.

And I will play the roll of the INNER CRITIC.

READY?

GO!

THE

THE QUICK

THE QUICK BROWN

THE QUICK BROWN FOX

THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS

THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER

THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE

THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY

THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG.

DON’T LISTEN TO ANYONE, INCLUDING YOURSELF

In the drafting process, your inner critic should NOT be invited to the party.

The inner critic will have plenty of time to riddle you with doubt and indecision as you revise.

BONUS QUESTION: Why did the writer in the example type about quick brown foxes and lazy dogs?

OKAY... OKAY... LISTEN TO ME JUST THIS ONCE.

In a moment of doubt, my rules may help you through your 1st draft:1. Writer’s Block is a Myth.2. Be sure you are writing for the

right reasons.3. Set manageable goals.4. Whatever you do, get to the next

page.

OKAY... OKAY... LISTEN TO ME JUST THIS TWICE.

In a moment of doubt, my rules may help you through your 1st draft:5. Use the right tool for the right

job.6. Learn when to let go.7. Don’t listen to anyone.

QUESTIONS?