Beating “White Screen Syndrome”

I’ve done all my research, triple-checked my facts, now I just need to write the article.

I fire up the word processor and am I prepared to hammer out the best thousand words I’ve ever written. Then I lean forward to type…and…nothing inspires me. Not even the fact that my deadline is in one hour.

This is what I like to call “white screen syndrome.” You know you need to write something but can’t seem to do anything other than stare at the blank white window in front of you.

Freelancers are business, and being in business means writing to some degree. Whether it’s correspondence, a blog entry or magazine articles, something usually needs to be written and the white screen syndrome beaten. The following are a few methods I’ve come to use to get past it.

Begin Anywhere But the Beginning

That first paragraph, the one that’s supposed to engage the reader and make them want to read on is often the hardest one to write. It’s been one of my biggest sources of writer’s block, since I’m uncomfortable writing if I don’t have a beginning.

However, when I was an intern at a daily newspaper and tasked with writing three articles per day, I didn’t have the luxury of suffering from writer’s block. So to get around it, my default opening sentence was “Lead goes here.”

I’d then continue with the rest of the article as if there was already something brilliant to start it with.

Once the article was done, it was pretty clear what it was about and summarizing it at the beginning was much easier.

Write What You REALLY Mean (But edit it later…)

“I have to write about writer’s block and yet I have writer’s block, LAME!! So, how am I going to get this done in time – frankly, I wish I could just type what I’m thinking and sending in a piece about how lame writer’s block is…”

My favourite method of getting something on the white screen is to just write what’s going through my head on the subject – then revise afterwards. I see it as a combination of stream-of-consciousness writing and Ann Lamont’s “shitty first draft.”

You know the subject matter, so just write. Usually it can be modified into something useful at the end and who knows, maybe you’ll find a few great sentences you wouldn’t have written if you were trying to stay professional.

I’ve written a few articles entirely like this and only had to edit out all the obscenities.

Just remember to edit before submitting!

Look Away From the Screen and Think Visually

I’ve suggested mind-mapping in other columns and I’m going to mention it again.

In fact, I was introduced to the method by a senior writer at a newspaper when he noticed I’d get back from whatever protest, car accident or fire I’d been sent to and stare at the whiteness about an hour before doing anything.

Sit back with a piece of paper, write words related to what you’re trying to write, draws lines to see the relationships. This is especially helpful for visual learners.

This helps juice up the right brain and hopefully ideas will pop out and least get you started.

Of course, with everything said and done, you could beat “white screen syndrome” by just changing the default background colour in the word processor.