Is a blank page friend or foe?  Invitation or brick wall?  Exciting or frightening?

A blank page can be one of these or all of these, depending.

Writing starts with a blank page.  We have to be willing to put something on that page -  stream of consciousness, lousy writing, just words that pop into our brains, random thoughts, doodles, anything so the page is no longer blank. 

We need to get past the child in us who had a teacher or other adult criticize what we had done.  We need to kick our inner critic to the curb.

Remember “Dance like no one is watching.”?  Well, we need to write like no one is watching.  Because in that moment when we write on the blank page, no one is watching. 

There is a delightful book, which I highly recommend, The Dot  by Peter H. Reynolds, that deals with the blank page.  It’s funny, touching, and a great inspiration to me.  It doesn’t tell us how to write or draw.  It encourages us to begin. 

I read it when I need to remind myself all writing starts with a mark on the page and a spot of courage.   

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Lynn H. Wyvill grew up in Washington DC where her favorite activity was sitting under a Japanese red maple tree, watching clouds create pictures in the sky. As a writer, she finds peace and inspiration when hiking in the woods, strolling on sandy beaches, and observing nature’s show in her backyard. Those experiences are captured in her first book, Nature’s Quiet Wisdom. Before writing books, Lynn worked as a radio/TV reporter and writer for the US Department of Agriculture and owned a consulting business that trained professionals on the creation and delivery of effective presentations. She is a lifelong learner, avid reader, small town explorer, and dedicated theater attendee who lives in beautiful Virginia with her husband.